Misplaced
by Maximillian Havisham
Summary: A disruption in the Eclipse Gate alters the course of one boy's life forever. Now belonging to a world he was never supposed to know, he lives a new life full of adventure, love, and just a dash of craziness. It's not about where you are, but who you are that defines you. A FTxRWBY crossover.
1. A New History

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do? They're only children."

"Whether this is right or wrong is irrelevant at this point. This is the only thing we **can** do. These five children are our last hope to defeat that monster. "

"I am well aware of that but..." the conflicted young woman looked to the children as they started to stir from their slumber. They were so innocent. Completely unaware of the danger that would be facing them all too soon. "It feels as if we are sending them to their death."

"Sadly death awaits them if they stay in this time as well. There is not enough Ethernano in this time for them to recover. The future has to be a better place than here." A brooding young man explained to her. "Will your clan be able to open the gate for them once they arrive?"

"I have no doubt."

"Then are we ready to begin?"

The woman reluctantly nodded. She was still not certain of this plan, but it was the only thing that could be done. She turned to fac the gate behind her.

It was massive in size, towering over nearly all of the trees behind it. She still wondered at times how they managed to create something so enormous, but that was mostly due to her partner's influence. She felt the power oozing out from the closed doors of the gate. It was at equal parts ominous, dark, and frightening. It was all too clear that dark magic aided in this structure's creation.

Pushing the thoughts of fear to the back of her mind, the refined young woman slowly pulled out a golden key from under her cloak.

The key started to glow bright; the orb at the top of the gate reacting in response. Eleven more keys appeared from under the woman's cloak, each one floating into a lock on doors of the gate as if being pulled along by an invisible string. Once the rest of the keys were set, she walked to the gate, placing the key in her hand in the center of the door. When she turned the key the gate slowly opened up, revealing a swirling vortex of purple and blue energy. The pressure it exuded was almost enough to bring her too her knees.

She managed to step back. "It's done."

"Thank you, Anna." The young man walked forward, the children – now fully awake – close behind him.

"What's happening, Ms. Anna?" one of the children asked. She was little girl with long blue hair. Clearly the youngest of the children, it was obvious from the shaky tone of her voice that she was frightened.

"You are all going to a better place." Anna smiled softly. "Somewhere you will be able to grow up happy. A place where you will be safe."

"Are you coming with us?" Another one of the children – a boy with spiked blonde hair - asked.

"Sadly I cannot. I have to stay here and close the gate behind you."

"If you're not going then I'm not either!" another boy shouted. He sat on the ground next to Anna with his legs crossed and a pout on his lips. His bright pink hair and scaly white scarf lightly waving in the breeze.

Anna walked over to him with a warm smile. This wasn't the first time he opposed this plan. "But it is your job to make sure your brothers and sister get through safely." she calmly explained to the boy. "If one of you doesn't go then there could be trouble. You don't want them to be in danger do you?"

The boy thought of this for a moment "No." he grumbled.

"I thought not." Anna stood up and held out her hand to him. "Don't be afraid. If you're all together, then things will not be so bad."

The boy grabbed her hand and walked with her back to the gate, where he was joined by the rest of the children. "Will we see you again?"

Anna smile softened and she shook her head. "No, you will not. But I will always be thinking of you. All of you. Are you ready?"

The children all nodded with the exception of the blue-haired girl.

"I'm scared." She said, her lip quivering.

"It's ok!" The pink-haired boy declared, grabbing her hand. "Nothing's going to happen to you! I promise!" He smiled wide, all of his teeth showing.

"Ok." The girl nodded with a small smile of her own, wiping away her tears and squeezing his hand tightly.

"Quickly, children. You must go to the gate. Please, protect yourselves and each other." Anna hurried them to the gate and gave them one last hug before they went in.

The children watched the gate doors close, before they free fell into a boundless void of energy.

"What's going to happen to us?!" the blonde boy asked.

"I don't know, but Anna said we'll be fine if we stick together!" a boy with long black hair answered.

The children continued falling through the void. Waves upon waves of powerful magic colliding with their bodies. It was so overwhelming that it made it hard for them to breathe. Without warning, a massive wave of energy hit the group, causing their grip on each other to loosen.

"Hold on!" The long-black haired boy shouted.

The waves of energy continued to bombard them one after another.

"It hurts!"

"Just hang on!"

"Don't let go!"

Another blast of energy hit the children, this one finally causing the pink-haired boy to break his grip.

"No!" the young girl shouted. She reached out to him, but he was already floating farther and farther away.

"Help!" the boy yelled. He tried to fight the current but it was too strong. He watched his brothers and sister called out his name one last time as a wave of black energy engulfed him.

* * *

"I think I'm lost."

A young man with pink hair let out a low groan as we walked through the backstreets of the city of Vale. It had been a long day, and judging by how far he was from home, it would be an even longer night.

"I should have just got on the air ship…but I hate those stupid things." He let out another sigh. He stepped out of the alley and into the Vale marketplace, seeing a shop at the edge of the street with its light still on. "Maybe I can ask the shop owner inside for directions."

When he walked towards the shop, he heard a creaking noise. "What's that?"

Suddenly the shop window shattered and man in a black and red suit and what appeared to be a mass of red cloth fly out into the street.

"What the hell?!"

He watched as the cloth rose from the ground. Now under the light of the street lamps, the boy saw that the cloth was actually part of a cloak belonging to a young girl.

She had short dark red hair, and her billowing red and black skirt gently waved in the wind. Due to the angle her head was turned, the pink-haired traveler could see the girl's striking silver eyes twinkling in the moonlight. The pole in her hand also extended, forming into a giant scythe. She swung it around, sticking the blade into the ground.

"Is that her weapon? It's huge!" he marvelled.

Unaware of her pink-headed spectator, the girl looked through the broken window of the shop at a redheaded man wearing a white suit. Taking a small drag from the cigar in his mouth, his eyes narrowed on the girl.

"Ok." His tone was a mixture of surprise and irritation. He looked to his men, wondering why they were still just standing around. "Get her."

Three men in suits similar in style to the man's on the ground filed out of the shop, each surrounding the girl.

The pink-haired young man knew this meant trouble. "I should help her." He started to run to the girl's aid.

One of the men ran at the girl with his sword held high to attack, but she was ready. She gripped the polearm of her scythe tightly and lifted herself into the air. She spun around, her kicks hitting the man in the chest and sending him flying back. She vaulted her self into the air and landed on her feet perfectly, holding her scythe behind her back.

The pink-haired young man screeched to a halt. "Whoa." He said in awe.

She surveyed her remaining opponents and pulled the trigger on the polearm, the recoil of her shots sending her dashing through the street in all directions. All the while she swung her weapon with ease, knocking one of the men into the air before seamlessly slamming another into the ground.

"She's fast." the boy observed. It was like watching a dancer perform.

Soon there was only one of the suited men left. He readied his gun to shoot, but as soon as he pulled the trigger the girl was once again gone.

She pulled the scythe trigger, once again firing bullets into the air. She approached the final man in a heartbeat, sweeping him into the air. She jumped into the air after him, swinging around her scythe and knocking him back to the ground in front of his boss.

"That was awesome!" the young man exclaimed.

The man in the white suit looked down to his unconscious henchmen. "Truly worth every cent I paid." He said facetiously. He stepped toward the girl with the scythe, dropping his cigar to the ground and putting it out with his cane. "Well, Red, it's been fun. Really it has. But I'm afraid this is where we say our good byes." He pointed his cane to her, the bottom coming up to form a scope. Suddenly a blast of fire shout out from the cane.

The girl braced for impact when she saw someone get in front of her.

"Who?"

The salmon-haired boy opened his mouth wide, eating the ball of fire to the surprise of everyone.

"Wow!" the girl gasped.

"Well…that was unexpected." The white suited man sneered. He took off towards a ladder on a nearby building.

"Did you just… **eat** that fire?" the girl asked her savior. "Wouldn't that burn your tongue off? Not to mention hurt...a lot?"

"Not really." the young man turned to her with a smile. "It did taste nasty though."

"Well thanks for saving me…guy, but I think the bad guy is getting away." She pointed to the ladder on nearby building. Sure enough the man in the white suit was currently climbing it.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get him!"

"Alright!"

The pair ran to the ladder, just to see their target reach the roof of the building.

The girl held out her hand. "Grab on. It'll be way faster if I take us up there."

"Ok." The boy took her hand. "But how are we going to get up there?"

"Just hold on tight." She grinned mischievously. She placed the top of her scythe on the ground and pulled the trigger, the force of the shot propelled the two high into the air, letting them reach the top of the building.

"This is awesome!" The boy exclaimed.

"I know right?! Totally beats climbing!"

The two landed on the roof and saw the man in the white suit standing on the edge.

"Hey!" the girl called.

He looked back to them and sneered. "Persistent pests, aren't you?"

An engine could be heard revving and slowly an airship rose up into the air from the side of the building. The fire eater's stomach started to gurgle.

"Not one of those things." He groaned. The longer he looked at the spinning propellers, the more his stomach turned.

"What's wrong?" his new friend asked with concern.

The white-suited man hopped into the open side door of the ship and turned to the pair. "End of the line, kids." He grabbed a red crystal from his jacket pocket and threw it at their feet. He then shot another blast from his cane.

"Get down!" despite his encroaching sickness the fire-eater moved to protect the girl from the ensuing explosion, but soon found himself saved by a woman with blonde hair. She had seemingly descended from the heavens, waving a riding crop to create a shield that protected all three of them from the blast. For a brief moment this woman looked familiar to the pink-haired young man, but this memory soon faded.

The blonde huffed in slight amusement, pushing up her glasses before swinging her arm again. A trail of lights zoomed to the airship, hitting it and causing it to rock unsteadily in the air.

The man in the white suit tried to stay upright during the barrage and managed to stumble his way to the ship's cockpit. "We've got a Huntress!" he told the pilot. He took over the controls while she went to take care of their attackers.

The blonde Huntress pointed her riding crop above the ship, firing a beam of energy into the air that condensed and formed into a furious storm cloud. She swung her arm downward and the cloud started to rain down pointed shards of ice upon the airship. One of them pierced the windshield, almost sticking into the white suited man's head.

"Witch!" he sneered.

The pilot walked to the still open side door of the ship. A good portion of their body was covered in heavy shadow, but the long dress they wore and the fine manicure of their nails identified that it was woman they were now facing.

The designs on her dress started to glow and she waved her arms around, firing a ball of fire at her blonde-haired enemy.

The bespectacled woman created another shield to deflect the attack.

In response the pilot raised her arm, and a circle appeared below the blonde. Feeling a strong energy pulsing beneath her feet the blonde flipped backwards, watching an explosion erupt from where she was standing.

She pointed her riding crop to the floating debris, forming into a giant spear that she aimed at the pilot.

The woman in the airship shot continuous blasts of fire at the creation, but each time she thought she destroyed it, it reformed.

The blonde waved her arms again, changing the spear's target to the cockpit.

The man in the white suit tilted the ship down, the spear just barely grazing off the top of the vehicle. Another wave of the blonde's arm and the spear broke apart into trails that once again targeted the woman in the door again.

"How is she doing that?" the dark-haired girl asked.

"I don't know." the pink-haired boy answered. "But it looks awesome."

The shadowed woman in the ship gathered her power, creating a shockwave that disintegrated all of the debris the blonde was using as a weapon.

The girl in red's scythe blade folded in, creating a gun. She shot bullets at the woman in the ship, but they were easily deflected.

The shadowed woman waved her right arm, creating a half circle of exploding sigils around the two.

"Move!" the pink-haired boy pushed them out of the way, clearing all three of them of the explosions. When they looked up they saw the side door close and the airship fly off into the night.

"Damn." The boy cursed. "They got away. I really wanted to fight that fire chick."

"Wow!" the girl in red gasped, her eyes fixed on the blonde haired woman. "You're a huntress."

"She is?" the boy asked.

The blonde woman looked to teens she had saved. Both of their eyes were sparkling.

"Fight me!" the boy demanded.

"Can I have your autograph?!" the girl eagerly asked.

* * *

"This is completely unfair."

"Yeah. We didn't even do anything wrong."

The girl and her fiery new companion sat in a dimly lit room far away from where they fought their mysterious enemies. Having been virtually dragged to the room by the blonde woman with glasses, the pair anxiously awaited for her to return.

"You were pretty cool with that scythe." The boy complimented with a smile.

"Thanks. You're fire-eating was cool too. Did you have to train to be able to do that?"

"Not really, just something I could always do. Guess you could say its part of my Semblance."

"Neat. My name's Ruby by the way. Ruby Rose." The girl extended her hand. "We never got to properly talk during all of that burglar craziness. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet ya, Ruby." The boy shook her hand. "I'm-"

Before he could fully answer the door swung open, startling the both of them. They stopped shaking hands and sat attentively in their seats - backs straight and eyes forward - anxiously watching as the blonde woman who saved them walked in. She held in her arms a video tablet. It was currently playing footage from the battle in a continuous loop. She paced around the pair, her silence making them even more uneasy.

After about a minute or so she finally stopped in front them, pushing up her glasses.

"…Are we in trouble?" Ruby finally asked. She was more afraid of the answer than she was the silence that proceeded it.

"That would be an understatement." The woman replied. She paced around the pair again, her eyes focused on the battle footage. "Your actions will not be taken lightly. You two not only put yourselves at risk, but who knows who many others with your reckless behavior."

"But we were only trying to help." The boy argued.

"Yeah!" Ruby spoke up. "They started it!"

The woman stopped in front of them again, when she saw the defiant looks in their eyes she sighed. "I know. Your hearts were in the right place so I can't fault you for doing what you thought was right. That's why if it were up to me I would send you both home with a pat on the back…"

The pair's eyes lit up.

"And a slap on the wrist." The woman sharply finished, slapping her riding crop on the table. Once again the two found themselves frightened - Ruby even yelping at the smack of the crop on the hard table. "But…there is someone who would like to see the both of you."

The stern woman stepped aside and in through the door walked a man with short gray hair, teashade glasses, and a plate of cookies in his hand. Neither Ruby nor the boy next to her knew what to make of him, but they were both salivating at the thought of eating the cookies.

"Ruby Rose." The man said. He leaned in close, staring at her face for a small while. "You have silver eyes."

Ruby was more than a little confused by his first words. "Um…"

The man leaned back. "So. Where did you learn to do this?" he directed the pair's eyes to the tablet screen. It was currently showing Ruby's fight against the men in suits.

Ruby was hesitant to answer. "S-signal Academy…" she muttered.

The man was slightly surprised at her answer. "Signal Academy?" he repeated. "They taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

"Well not exactly…" Ruby explained. "It was one teacher in particular."

"I see. That makes much more sense." The man placed a plate of cookies before Ruby.

She warily looked to him before taking one and eating it. It was delicious. She reached for another, but the plate was quickly snatched away by her accomplice.

"Hey!"

"Showwy." The boy apologized, his mouth now full of cookies. "I haven't eaten all day."

Ruby started to pout.

"Interesting." The man looked over the footage again. "I've only seen one other person with a scythe technique this precise. A dusty old crow…"

"That's my uncle." Ruby revealed. "He was my teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage until he started to train me. Now I'm all…" Ruby began making kung-fu noises with her mouth as she sliced her arms through the air.

"He shounds awthum!" the boy said, still shoveling cookies into his face.

"Right?" Ruby said. "He's totally awesome."

"I want to fight him."

"I don't think you'd win. My uncle Qrow is pretty strong."

"Only one way to find out." He leaned back in his chair and burped. "Those cookies hit the spot." He slid the plate over to Ruby. "I saved you one."

"Thanks." She smiled and ate the cookie.

The man cleared his throat, garnering both of their attentions. He then looked over to the pink-haired boy.

"You…you're Natsu Dragneel correct?"

"Yeah?" the boy raised his eyebrow. "You know me?"

"Of course. Not many forget the male heir of the Schnee family."

Natsu's eyes widened in fright. "You know my family?!" he shrieked. "Please don't tell them I snuck off! Especially my sister! I'm begging you!"

"You can relax. I'm not going to tell them anything that happened tonight, but you probably should let them know where you are."

"You have a sister?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." Natsu sulked. "She's really scary."

Ruby giggled. "My sister can be scary too."

The man took a seat in front of the pair. "Do either of you know who I am?"

"Should I?" Natsu retorted.

"You're Professor Ozpin." Ruby answered. "The headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"I am." The man nodded. "It is nice to meet the both of you."

"Nice to meet you as well." Ruby respectfully returned.

"Wait…Beacon Academy?" Natsu asked. "That's that school that trains people to be Hunters and Huntresses right?"

"I'm surprised you know of it." Ozpin chuckled.

"Of course I do. I'm not a total idiot."

"That remains to be seen." The blonde woman muttered.

"Now, now, Glynda." Ozpin said. "No need to be crass with the boy." He turned his attention back to Natsu. "Is that why you came here? To enroll in the academy?"

"No. I just came to Vale with my little sister. She's the one going to Beacon."

"My older sister's going there this year too." Ruby said.

"Do you wish to join them?" Ozpin suddenly asked.

Both Natsu and Ruby were stuck dumb by his question.

"I still have two years left at Signal." Ruby pointed out.

"And my grades aren't high enough to get in to Beacon." Natsu said.

"Hm." Ozpin grinned. "I'm sure I could pull some strings to allow you admittance." He looked to the blonde woman – now known as Glynda – for approval. She simply looked away as if to say "it's your decision."

Ozpin looked back to the pair. "What do you say? Would the two of you like to come to my school?"

Natsu and Ruby looked at one another for a few seconds before smiling and looking back to Ozpin.

"More than anything." Ruby accepted happily.

"Where do we sign up?" Natsu asked.

* * *

 **Due to the success of Dungeons & Dragon (which I can't thank you guys enough for by the way), I decided to start another a crossover. In case you guys haven't figured it out yet, this time I'm crossing Fairy Tail with RWBY. However unlike Dungeons & Dragon where i mixed the worlds of DanMachi and FT, this fic is more placing one character inside the already existing world as someone raised there (that being Natsu obviously). **

**I noticed other RWBYxFT crossovers are basically Natsu comes to Remnant with his memories or abilities in tact in some form or fashion. Personally I think that can be a bit lazy in terms of building a character so I decided to change up the formula just a bit. As such Natsu has never met Fairy Tail or know anything about Earthland. Also (since I know some people may ask) this is NOT a harem story.**

 **And don't worry, I won't neglect Dungeons & Dragon. **

**So what do you guys think? Would this be a story you are interested in me continuing? Let me know your thoughts in a review.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Welcome to Beacon!

The distorted dimensional waves of the eclipse gate continuously crashed and twisted against the boy's body, racking him with a seemingly unending pain.

"It hurts." He breathed, tears stinging his eyes.

Unable to move, all he could do was fall further into the void. No concept of time. No sense of direction. No awareness of himself or his surroundings. The boy's senses began to wane.

First he went blind.

He screamed, but soon his ears could no longer hear his cries.

Tears streamed down his face, but in a matter of moments his cheeks went numb and he could not feel them.

Finally all of his senses were gone. He was scared. Terrified. His heart was beating so fast that he thought it would stop at any second.

 _Am I going to die?_ He thought. _I don't want to die._ His consciousness started to fade. _I don't…_

That was when the light appeared.

* * *

Natsu slowly opened his eyes to a bright light.

Hearing faint murmurs and whispers he turned his head, seeing boys and girls roughly his age looking at him with eyes of wariness, fear, and even disgust.

"What happened? Where am I? Why's everyone looking at me like that?"

He looked down, his stomach gurgling when he saw the city of Vale slowly moving by down below. He started getting dizzy.

"Oh yeah…"

Natsu groaned, his body hunched over the airship railing.

Accepting Professor Ozpin's offer, both Natsu and his new friend Ruby Rose were on their way to Beacon Academy with a host of other prospective students. Unfortunately for Natsu he wasn't told that they would be taking an airship to the school until it was too late.

Hearing a low groan Natsu turned his head again, this time seeing a boy with short blonde hair hunched over the railing just as he was. The young man's face was almost completely green from motion sickness.

"I know how you feel, buddy." Natsu sympathized, fighting back his own vomit.

While Natsu suffered through his vehicle induced torture, Ruby was having problems of her own.

"Oh I can't believe that my baby sister got into Beacon with me! This is so awesome!" A girl with long blonde hair wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, squeezing the young girl close to her body in a tight hug.

"Yang…" Ruby gasped, tapping her sister's arm. "Can't…breathe…."

Yang let go and looked at her relieved sister with a smile. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Really, sis, it was nothing." Ruby downplayed.

Despite getting into the school she had always dreamed of, Ruby was now noticeably less enthusiastic than her spirited older sister. The rush of elation from last night was gone. Replaced by the crippling anxiety that one normally associated with the first day of high school.

"What are you talking about? This is incredible!" Yang shouted. "Everyone's gonna think you're the bee's knees!"

"I don't want to be the bee's knees! I don't want to be anyone's knees. I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

Yang was confused by her sister's apprehension. "What's with you? Lots of other people would kill to be in your shoes."

"That's the problem." Ruby confessed. "I got moved ahead two years. I don't want to rub anyone the wrong way because they think I'm special…"

Yang wrapped her arm around her sullen sister's back and pulled her close. "But you are special."

Ruby wasn't so sure.

"…The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick…"

Ruby and Yang looked over to the holographic display of the Vale Network News on the side of the airship. Depicted on the screen was a mug shot of a man with bright orange hair and a white jacket. Despite the numerous bruises and bandages on his face, his smile was all too smug.

"If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale police department."

"Hey!" Natsu pointed from the floor. He was no longer hunched over the ledge, but was still too weak to stand, so he sat on his knees. "That's the guy we fought last night!" His cheeks puffed out and quickly darted back over the railing, the sound of his puking making everyone take one huge step back.

"What's with that guy?" Yang asked, pointing to Natsu. "He sick or something?"

"That's Natsu." Ruby reminded her sister. "Remember? He helped me fight that Torchwick jerk."

"Oh yeah. You did mention that." Yang said dismissively. "Why's his hair pink? He dye it or something?"

Ruby started to say something, but paused. "…That's a really good question."

A woman – named Lisa Lavender as indicated on the bar below her - was now on the screen.

"In other news this Saturday's Faunus civil rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony." She reported.

Natsu briefly regained composure during the report. "The White Fang…" he said to himself, his eyes narrowing some.

"The once peaceful organization has now disrupted-"Suddenly the news feed cut out and a hologram of Professor Ozpin's assistant, Glynda Goodwitch – the woman who assisted Ruby and Natsu – appeared before the students.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon." She greeted the students. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You all are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is currently experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it.

You have all demonstrated the skills needed for such a task, and now it is our job to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world. We hope you will enjoy the experience." With that the hologram faded.

"Wow." Ruby gasped. She walked to the starboard window – as did a few other students – as the ship slowly exited Vale's city limits. "This is incredible. You can see Signal from up here."

"I guess home isn't that far after all." Yang said, once again placing her hand on her sister's shoulder.

Natsu continued to groan in agony, his stomach gurgling even louder. The boy next to him retched as well.

"I guess the view isn't for everyone. " Yang joked.

"Look!" Ruby pointed. "I can see Beacon!"

The ship slowly approached what appeared to be a massive castle overlooking a crystal clear waterfall.

"I wonder who we'll meet." Yang said.

"I just hope they're better than vomit boy." Ruby answered, pointing her thumb at the puking blonde.

"Yeah. Bubblegum head doesn't seem all that good either." Yang said of Natsu.

"Hey!" he shouted in offense. Natsu turned to face Yang, but felt a another rumbling in his stomach. "Oh crap…I turned around too fast!" His cheeks puffed out, his face turning green as he lurched closer to the frightened sisters.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Yang yelped, backing away.

"Natsu, wait! Stop!" Ruby shouted. "Get away! Get away!"

* * *

"Finally!" Natsu burst forth from the open door of the ship like a man being released from prison. He fell to his knees, kissing the dirt beneath his feet repeatedly in thanks. "No more flying death traps!"

"You're feeling a lot better." Ruby giggled as she and Yang walked past him.

"Yep!" Natsu smiled. He soon caught up to the pair, walking with them as they approached the school's main courtyard.

"So what's the deal with your hair?" Yang asked, pointing to the top of Natsu's head. "You dye it or something?"

Natsu pulled on one of his bangs and looked at it in the sun. "No. I was born like this."

"That's weird."

"Wow." They heard Ruby gasp.

The trio looked ahead, all of them in awe of how beautiful and serene the school grounds were. The land seemed to stretch for miles. With trees, shrubs, lush green grass, and pristine stone walkways leading to the school's amphitheater. The three slowly craned their necks upward, their eyes finding the green lights shining down from Beacon Tower.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this." Yang commented.

"You said it." Natsu agreed. "This place looks awesome."

Other students started to walk by, Ruby's eyes sparkling even more when she saw their weapons. "Ohhh! Look, guys, look!" she squealed. She began pointing at people as they walked by. "That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she has a fire sword!" She started follow after them, but her sister pulled her back by the hood of her cloak. "Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Calm down, little sis." Yang said.

"These kids look strong." Natsu said with a mischievous grin. "I can't wait to fight them."

"You cool it too, bubblegum head."

"My name is Natsu."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway why are you guys so excited?" Yang asked. "They're just weapons."

Ruby gasped in horror at her sister's apparently offensive question. "Just weapons?" she repeated. "These are more than 'just weapons', Yang. They're an extensions of ourselves, a part of us! They're so cool! Right, Natsu?"

"I don't really care about that stuff." Natsu admitted. "I like to fight people with my bare hands." Natsu held up a clenched fist, igniting it in flames.

"Whoa!" Yang shouted. "How are you doing that? Is it some kind of magic trick?"

"No. It's my semblance."

"That's pretty awesome. I'd love to see what that could do in a fight."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You challenging me?"

"Depends…" Yang grinned. "You man enough to accept?"

A cocky smirk crossed Natsu's lips. "Bring it."

Ruby cleared her throat, grabbing the pair's attention. "We were talking about weapons?" she reminded them.

"Right." Yang reset, leaving Natsu somewhat disappointed. "Why do you like seeing other weapons anyway, Ruby? Don't you like yours?"

"Yeah. I thought yours was pretty cool when I saw it." Natsu complimented.

Ruby opened her scythe and cradled it like a child. "Of course I love Crescent Rose." She said. "I just like seeing new weapons. It's like meeting new people…only better."

Yang playfully pulled her sister's hood over her head. "Come on, Ruby. Why don't you try and make some friends of your own? You've already got one." Yang motioned towards Natsu – who was currently picking his nose with his pinky out of boredom. He had completely checked out of the conversation.

 _Weird…I feel like I'm forgetting something._ He thought. _But what?_

Ruby sighed. "I guess but…why do I need friends if I have you?"

Yang stepped back, and group of people suddenly surrounded her. "Actuallymyfriendsareherenowgottagobye!" Yang and her friends raced off like the wind, dizzying Ruby.

She spun around, her eyes spirals as she tried to steady herself. "Wait! Where are you going?!" she called out to Yang, but her sister was long gone. "Aren't we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms? I don't know what I'm doing." Ruby fell over, crashing into a cart of luggage.

"Ruby, you ok?!" Natsu knelt down to help her.

"Yeah…" she replied dizzily. "Just dandy."

"Natsu?" A voice called.

A chill went up the young man's spine. _Crap…I remember what I forgot now._

"Natsu?" Ruby called. "What's wrong?"

Ruby craned her neck upward, seeing a girl with long white hair tied in an off-center ponytail standing over them. She wore a pale blue and white thigh length dress with a pale blue bolero over it. She looked like a princess – a rather angered one if her squinted eyes, twisted mouth, and crossed arms were any indication.

"Natsu, I'm talking to you!" the princess said forcefully.

"Do you know this girl?" Ruby asked him.

Natsu let out a deep sigh. "Yeah. I do." He slowly stood up, the "princesses" irritated eyes never leaving him.

Ruby was still confused.

"Ruby, this is Weiss…my younger sister." He reluctantly introduced.

"Where were you? You know what don't tell me. You and I will have a talk about your absence later." Weiss warned.

Natsu slumped. "Yeah. I know."

"As for you." Weiss now directed her fury towards Ruby. "Just what do you think you're doing? You could have ruined everything."

"S-sorry." Ruby nervously apologized. It was clear that the luggage on the dirt belonged to her.

"Sorry? Do you have any idea the damage you could have caused?"

"Calm down, Weiss." Natsu said.

"You stay out of this."

Ruby held out one of the luggage bags she toppled over to Weiss as a sort of peace offering, but the angered girl simply snatched it away.

"Give me that!" Weiss opened the case, inspecting the vials inside. Each one contained what appeared to be colored sand. "This is dust! Mined and purified in the Schnee Quarry." She explained to Ruby.

"Uh." Was all Ruby could say in reply.

"You brought that much?" Natsu questioned his sister.

Weiss ignored her brother. "Are you brain dead?" she asked the still shocked Ruby. "Dust." She took out a vial with red Dust and shook it, particles coming out of what was supposed to be an enclosed top. "Fire! Water! Lightning! Energy!"

The Dust particles floating around from Weiss' shaking started to tickle Ruby's nose, making her eyes water.

"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking into that rock head of yours?"

"Hey, Weiss, maybe you shouldn't shake that stuff around so much." Natsu warned.

"I told you to stay out of this." She looked back to Ruby. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The inside of Ruby's nose began to itch and her mouth opened wide.

"Weiss!" Natsu shouted.

Ruby sneezed and the dust particles reacted, causing a mini explosion. Natsu shielded his sister from the blast. When the dust settled, both of them were covered in soot.

"Natsu, are you alright?!" Weiss asked in fright.

"I'm fine." He coughed. "What about you?"

"I'm ok."

"I'm really really sorry!" Ruby apologized, sniffing and rubbing her nose.

"This is exactly what I was talking about!" Weiss freed herself from Natsu's grip and stormed over to Ruby. "You complete dolt!"

"Weiss, it was an accident. Calm down." Natsu said.

Weiss continued to berate the apologetic Ruby. "What if you had hurt yourself, or me, or my brother?! What are you even doing here anyway?! Aren't you too young to be at Beacon?"

Ruby looked at the ground, her eyes unable to meet Weiss' rage-filled stare. "W-well I-"

"This is not some run-of-the-mill combat school. There's more here than just sparring and practicing. We're here to fight monsters. So watch where you're going!"

"Weiss." Natsu said firmly.

Ruby had finally had enough. "Hey! I said I was sorry, Princess."

"It's 'heiress' actually." A voice corrected.

The trio watched as a girl with long black hair and a bow tied at the top of her head approached them. In her hand was the vial that Weiss had been holding earlier. During the explosion it rolled into her foot.

"Weiss and Natsu Schnee. Heirs to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

 _Schnee?_ Ruby looked to Natsu in slight confusion. _I thought his last name was Dragneel._

Weiss faced the rather brazen girl with a superior smirk on her lips. "Finally. Some recognition." She turned to Ruby, her smug face seeming to say "take that!"

Ruby rolled her eyes.

The black-haired girl continued. "The same company that is infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

Natsu gave no reply to this. Honestly, he had no interest in his family's company or its business practices. His sister was a different story.

"What?! How dare…the nerve of…" Weiss was rendered a sputtering mess.

Ruby giggled. She found it amusing that the haughty heiress had been put in her place by this mysterious stranger. Something like karmic justice.

With one final huff Weiss stormed off, but Natsu remained.

Ever since this unknown girl showed up, Natsu couldn't help but think he had met her somewhere before. Stepping closer, he poked out his nose and sniffed the air around her.

"What are you doing? Get away from me." She demanded, taking a step back.

"You smell familiar." he said.

"W-what?"

Weiss returned, grabbing her brother's scaled scarf and dragging him off into the distance like he was a lost pet. They were followed by two men in suits – bodyguards that Weiss had brought with her; they also set the luggage cases back onto the carrier during the commotion.

"We're leaving, Natsu!"

"Wait, Weiss!" Natsu struggled. His sister's grip was surprisingly strong for someone her size. His scarf started to tighten around his neck. "Not so hard!" he choked.

"I'm sorry, Natsu!" Ruby shouted after him. "I promise I'll make it up to the both of you!"

"Don't worry about it!" Natsu waved to his new friend as he and his sister shrank in the distance. "I'll see you later!"

Ruby sighed once they faded out of sight. "I guess I'm not the only one with a rough first day. So...what's your-"

She turned to girl with black hair, but to Ruby's dismay she was walking away as well. Ruby fell to her knees in exhaustion before falling to her back on the paved courtyard road.

"Welcome to Beacon." She said sadly to herself.

A shadow soon loomed over. Ruby looked up, seeing a boy with blonde hair standing over her. He reached out his hand with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Jaune."

Ruby sat up, a small smile on her lips as well as she took his hand. "Ruby." She introduced.

Jaune pulled Ruby to her feet. When she got a good look at his face she couldn't help but snicker.

"Aren't the other guy who threw up on the ship?"

* * *

"Weiss, would you stop pulling already?" Natsu requested. "My butt's starting to chafe."

Weiss acquiesced and let go of his scarf.

Natsu rubbed his sore bottom and stood. "What's the big idea anyway? Why did you pull me away?"

"Start talking." She demanded, completely ignoring his concerns. "Why are you here? Better yet where were you last night? We were all worried sick." She crossed her arms, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground while she awaited her brother's answer.

"Last night?" Natsu repeated. "I…ummm…I got lost." He smiled.

"With your nose? Don't insult my intelligence, Natsu. You could sniff out a needle in a haystack as well as where that nail came from. You could have easily sniffed out the ship. Now tell the truth. Where. Were. You." Weiss' stern stare penetrated made Natsu stand at attention. Once again she had seen through his lies.

"I…may have missed the airship back home…on purpose."

"What in the world would possess you to do that?!"

"I hate those things!"

"I don't care! That is no excuse to just leave without telling anyone where you were! We thought you had been abducted or worse! As an heir to the Schnee family, you can't just-"

"I get it! I get it!" Natsu cut her off. He hated hearing about his "duties as a Schnee heir". "I won't do it again."

"Do you promise?"

Natsu sighed. "Yes I promise."

Weiss glared at her brother for a few more moments. Slowly but surely her eyes softened.

"Good. Now, why are you here? Surely not to give me a tearful goodbye." She moved her hands to her hips, a smug smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I know it's hard to accept, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need my big brother to watch over me anymore."

Natsu was confused by his sister's boasting. "Huh? No. I'm a student here now."

Slowly Weiss' smile faded.

"…What?!"

* * *

After a somewhat lengthy but eventful conversation about weapons – as well as the commonality of motion sickness - Ruby and Jaune finally arrived at the entrance ceremony.

Scattered inside the amphitheater were numerous new students, each of them eager to begin their tenure at Beacon Academy just like they were.

"Ruby, over here!" Yang called from among the gathered students. "I saved you a spot!"

Ruby waved to her sister then turned to Jaune. "Hey, I gotta go. Nice meeting you. I'll see you after the ceremony, ok?" With that she ran off to join Yang.

"Hey!" Jaune called after Ruby, but she was long gone. "Great." He whined. "Where am I going to find a nice, quirky, girl to talk to now?"

"So how's your first day going, little sister?" Yang asked smiled.

Ruby was unamused. "You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?"

"Yikes. Breaking down already?"

"No. I mean I literally exploded a hole in front of the school! There was fire…and I think some ice?"

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No! I wish. I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage and she yelled at me. Then I found out she was Natsu's sister. Then I sneezed. Then I exploded. There was soot everywhere, and she yelled at me again. And I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me and-"

"You!"

Ruby jumped into her sister's arms in fright. Weiss had appeared, apparently she had heard everything Ruby had said about her.

"Oh no! It's happening again!" Ruby cried.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of a cliff." Weiss scolded Ruby.

"Oh my god, you really did explode." Yang said in stunned realization.

"That's what I told you!" Ruby asserted.

Natsu weaved his way through the crowd and stood next to his sister. "Hey, guys, what's up?" he waved to Ruby and Yang.

"Hey, Bubblegum head." Yang greeted.

"I told you my name is Natsu."

"I know." Yang grinned playfully.

"It was an accident I swear!" Ruby pleaded with Weiss. "An accident!" She was placed back on her feet by Yang, only to have the snow-haired heiress shove a pamphlet titled "Dust for Dummies and other Inadequate Individuals" in her face.

"What's this?" Ruby asked.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries sustained while operating a Schnee Dust product. Although not mandatory the Schnee Family highly encourages customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust application and practice in the field."

The words coming from Weiss' mouth were so automatic and quick that Ruby felt like she was listening to the disclaimer at the end of a bad infomercial.

Once again Ruby's only response was "Uh."

"Do you really want to start making things up to me?" Weiss asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Absolutely?" Ruby wasn't really sure, but she would say anything to get this conversation over with.

Weiss once again shoved the pamphlet in Ruby's face, and this time the hooded girl took it.

"Then read this and never speak to me again." Weiss said.

"Look…" Yang spoke up. "It sounds like you guys just go off on the wrong foot. Why don't you two start over and be friends, ok?"

"Yeah." Natsu agreed. "You don't have to be a jerk, Weiss."

"I'm the jerk?" she gasped in offense at her brother. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Great idea, sis!" Ruby chirped. She faced Weiss, extending her hand out with a smile. "Hello, Weiss. I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

"Yeah." Weiss flippantly accepted. "And we can paint our nails, and talk about cute boys like…tall, dark, and scraggly over there." She pointed her thumb at a confused Jaune – who just happened to be standing a few feet away from them.

"Wow really?!" Ruby excitedly asked.

"…No." Weiss sternly refused.

Ruby slumped her shoulders in defeat.

The sound of a microphone whining echoed through the noisy room, silencing everyone. All the students looked to the stage, seeing Professor Ozpin – Glynda not far behind – standing in front of the microphone. He cleared his throat.

"I'll keep this brief." He began. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you are finished; you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Natsu yawned. "This is boring."

"Hush." Weiss hissed.

"When I look amongst you, all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction." Ozpin continued. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only get you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With those ominous – and slightly disheartening - words spoken Ozpin moved away from the microphone, allowing Glynda to step forward.

"You will all meet in the ballroom tonight. That is where you will sleep." She informed. "Tomorrow your initiation will officially begin. Be ready. You are dismissed." She followed after Ozpin.

"He seemed kinda…off." Yang noted of Ozpin.

"Yeah. It's like he wasn't even there." Ruby nodded.

Natsu stomach started to gurgle. "I'm getting hungry. Where's the cafeteria?" He walked off.

"Natsu, hold on!" Weiss shouted, following after him. "Where are you going?"

"That guy really doesn't stay in one place too long does he?" Yang said.

* * *

Natsu kept a somewhat brisk pace through the courtyard, his sister running to catch up.

"Don't just up and leave like that." She chided.

"I got hungry." He said.

"We could have easily just had the guards bring us something to eat."

"I'd rather get my own food."

While her brother followed his nose in search of food, Weiss looked around at all of the architecture. The large archways and exquisitely detailed designs on the pillars were very appealing to her eyes.

"Wow." Weiss marveled. "The school is much more elegant than advertised in the brochure."

Natsu hummed in absent agreement. He wasn't paying attention at all.

"What's wrong with you?" Weiss asked. "You're usually much more energetic than this. Are you really that hungry?"

"That Ozpin guy rubs me the wrong way." Natsu stated.

Weiss raised a brow in confusion. "The professor? What do you mean?"

"He knows my name."

"Well of course he does." The heiress waved dismissively. "You're the only male heir to the Schnee family. Nearly everyone knows how you are. I would be more surprised if he didn't."

"No. I mean he knows my **real** name."

This new information succeeded in alarming Weiss. "What? Are you sure?"

Natsu nodded. "He said it the night we met."

"But how is that possible? Your true name is a secret only known to the family."

"I don't know." Natsu answered.

"Does anyone else know?"

Natsu pointed to his temple. "That blonde lady with the glasses."

"Ms. Goodwitch." Weiss corrected.

"Yeah her. Ruby knows too."

"That clumsy dolt from earlier?!"

"She was there when Ozpin said it."

Weiss facepalmed. "Does she know anything else?"

"No."

Weiss sighed in relief. "That's good. That means we have nothing to worry about."

"I really don't see the big deal of hiding it. I like my name."

As they continued down the hall talking about this and that, Natsu - not watching where he was going - accidentally bumped shoulders with someone coming from the other direction.

"Watch we're you're going, Pinky." The student said roughly.

Natsu whipped around, glaring at the young man that brushed past him. "What did you say?"

The young man was about the same age as Natsu, but also slightly taller than him. His silver-gray hair shimmering dimly in the sunlight. He crossed his arms, his silver eyes looking down at Natsu as he smirked with a sense of superiority.

"You heard me, flamingo top." the boy retorted. "Watch we're you're going. Some of us have important places to be."

"Oh yeah? You-"Natsu rolled up sleeve but Weiss stopped him.

"Natsu, calm down. It was an accident."

"What's wrong, tough guy?" Natsu's adversary taunted. "Gonna let your girlfriend fight your battle for you?"

"I am **not** his girlfriend." Weiss quickly found herself getting irritated as well by the boy's attitude. "I'm his sister."

"That's even worse." The young man laughed. He was quickly silenced with a smack to the back of his head. "Ow!"

A girl with dark skin and mint green hair walked in front of him.

"What was that for, Emerald?" he demanded, rubbing the back of his head.

"Please excuse my idiot friend." The girl – now known to the siblings as Emerald – apologized. "He has a nasty habit of annoying people."

"You're one to talk." He grumbled.

"We'll be on our way." She turned the young man around and started pushing him away from Natsu and Weiss. "Sorry for the trouble." she said over her shoulder. "Maybe we'll see you around sometime. We'll buy you food or something in apology."

"Of course." Weiss said. "See you around." She turned to her brother. "You can stop glowering now."

"Not until I give that bastard a beating he won't forget."

"Natsu, it's over. Just let it go. Please try not to get expelled on the first day over something as trivial as someone bumping you in the hallway. The school is huge so chances are we won't see them again anyway."

"I guess so." Natsu relaxed and Weiss let him go.

"Now let's hurry to the cafeteria before it closes. You're still hungry aren't you?" Weiss walked past her brother.

"Yeah." Natsu looked at the backs of Emerald and her friend for a few seconds longer before following after Weiss.

"Mercury, you idiot." Emerald scolded the silver-haired young man. "We're supposed to be keeping a low profile. Not challenging kids to fights."

Mercury interlocked his fingers behind his head, a knowing grin on his lips. "Lighten up some, Emerald. I was only messing with the guy. Besides he wasn't going to do anything anyway. He was all talk."

"Even so just please try and stay out of trouble. The last thing we need is unwanted attention to ourselves."

Mercury playfully saluted his irritated comrade. "Yes ma'am."

Emerald sighed. "Let's just go and meet with Cinder."

* * *

With the moon high in the night sky, all of the students were now gathered in the ballroom as Glynda instructed. As she said this was to be their sleeping quarters for the night.

Even though room was a mix of both boys and girls, no one really seemed all that uncomfortable. Possibly due to the ballroom being so spacious. Some even welcomed this co-ed situation.

"It's like a bi~g slumber party!" Yang flopped on the sleeping bag next to her sister – who was currently writing on a piece of paper.

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby said.

"I know I do." Yang replied playfully.

She rolled her tongue, her eyes scanning across the room at all of the shirtless boys. Each one was more cut and fit than the last. Soon her eyes fell on Natsu, who was being scolded by his sister for not bringing an extra set of clothes to sleep in.

"Wow. Bubblegum head is actually pretty hot with his shirt off." Yang noted in surprise.

"Mhm." Ruby agreed, not really listening to her sister.

"What ya writing?"

"A letter to my friends back at Signal. I promised to tell them how things were going."

"That's so cute!" Yang cooed. She got a pillow thrown at her face for her trouble.

"Shut up. I didn't get to bring my friends to school with me. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"What about that Jaune guy?" Yang looked over to the blonde – who was currently trying to flirt with girls in his fleece onesie. "He's…nice. Plus there's bubblegum head-"

"Natsu."

"Whatever. That's two friends already."

"I guess but Natsu's sister totally hates my guts, so I say she counts as a negative friend."

"You still have one in him. Besides there's no such thing as negative friends. You just have two friends and one enemy." Yang received another pillow to the face. "Stop sulking. It's only been one day. Trust me. You've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet."

Ruby sat up from her sleeping bag and saw a girl sitting against the wall in front of her. She had long black hair with a black bow tied at the top, her long black night gown slightly pulled up above her ankles as she thumbed through the pages of a book by candlelight. Ruby recognized her almost instantly.

"That girl…"

"You know her?" her sister asked.

"Not really. She kinda helped me out this morning, but she left before I could say anything."

"Well here's your chance!" Yang grabbed her sister's wrist and pulled her along.

"Wait!" Ruby shouted. "What are you doing?"

The black-haired girl heard the commotion and slowly lowered her book, her eyes falling on the two sisters now standing in front of her.

"Hello~." Yang sang with a wave. "I believe you two may know each other?" she pointed to her sister.

The girl looked at Ruby. "Aren't you…the girl that exploded?" she asked.

"Uh yeah." Ruby anxiously answered. "My name's Ruby." She extended her hand, but the girl promptly returned to her book, completely ignoring her existence.

"What are you doing?" Yang whispered to her sister.

"I don't know help me." Ruby pleaded.

"So, what's your name?" Yang asked the girl.

She scoffed, her eyes once more lifting from her book. "Blake."

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang! Ruby's older sister. I like your bow."

"Thanks." Blake said firmly. She was making no attempt to start a conversation with the energetic blonde.

"It goes great with your…pajamas."

"Right…" Blake trailed off, her nose once again in her book.

It was clear that this attempt at friendship was failing…hard. Yang tried one last time.

"Nice night, huh?"

"Yes. It's lovely." she curtly replied. "Almost as lovely as this book. Which I will continue to read…" she looked at the sisters on last time."As soon as you leave."

Yang officially gave up. "This girl is a lost cause." she told her sister.

"What's it about?" Ruby suddenly asked Blake.

This caught the rough girl's attention. "Huh?"

"Your book." Ruby clarified. "Does it have a name?"

"It's about a man with two souls." Blake explained. Her tone was much warmer with Ruby than it was with Yang. "Each one fighting for control over his body."

"Oh yeah…" Yang said uninterested. "That's…real lovely."

"I love books." Ruby smiled. "Yang used to read them to me every night before bed. Stories of monsters and heroes. They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."

"Why?" Blake chuckled. "Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"Well…yeah. I'm hoping we all will." Ruby said. "When I was a little girl I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books. Fighting for what was right and protecting people who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's very ambitious for a child…but unfortunately the real world isn't some fairy tale." Blake's eyes briefly fell to her feet. "It's a much harsher place."

"That's why we're here, isn't it?" Ruby argued. "To make the world a better place?"

This question gave Blake pause.

"I'm so proud of you, baby sister." Yang hugged Ruby and hoisted her into the air, much to her sister's discomfort and annoyance.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

Ruby punched Yang and the sisters began to fight and bicker.

"Ruby. Yang..." Blake said, trying to quiet the two. "It's been a pleasure, but-"

"What is going on here?!" An angered Weiss flounced over to the trio. "Don't you know people are trying to sleep?!" her eyes caught Yang's. Both had the same reaction.

"Not you again!"

"Shh." Ruby shushed the two. "Please stop yelling."

Yang noticed something in Weiss' ears. "Wait…why are you wearing ear plugs?" Her question was soon answered by a loud roar.

"What was that?! Is a Grimm attacking the school?!"

Weiss sighed. "No. That's just my brother." She directed the girls to Natsu. He was sprawled out on both his and Weiss' beds, his mouth wide open as he loudly snored.

"How do you live with that?" Blake asked.

"Years of practice and sleepless nights." Weiss answered.

"Have any more of those ear plugs?" Yang asked Weiss.

"Make that two please." Ruby requested.

Weiss didn't want to share anything with two people she had already decided to hate on the first day of school, but Natsu's snoring was something she wouldn't have wished on her enemy.

Begrudgingly Weiss gave the sisters two pairs of spare earplugs she kept in her night gown pocket. She looked over to Blake - who was still seated against the wall. For some reason she looked in more pain than the others. Weiss grabbed her final spares. She looked at them for a moment, contemplating what to do before sighing and holding out her hand.

"Here." She said, refusing to make eye contact with the girl who had so rudely insulted her family earlier. "I suppose you want some as well."

After a few seconds of contemplation Blake accepted Weiss' offer. "Thank you." She muttered.

"You're welcome."

Ruby and Yang smiled.

"I don't want to hear a word from either of you." Weiss commanded.

"What?!" Yang yelled. She couldn't hear anything over Natsu's snoring.

"Guys, calm down." Ruby pleaded. "People are trying to sleep remember?"

Blake blew out the candles as the girls bickered; Natsu continuing to snore the night away.

* * *

 **Thanks to popular demand this will be an ongoing series. Updates as such will be fairly sporadic, but that's usually how it goes. Thanks to all those who said good things and even those who said not so good things. Feedback is always appreciated.**

 **I wasn't going to post this for about another week, but one of my favorite fics by one of my favorite writers ("A Noble Heart's Desire" by Adrian Celsius to be more specific. Guy is a great writer. If you like Fire Emblem you should check his fics out. Ok shout out over) gave me the inspiration to put this one out there. Hopefully you all like it.**

 **One thing I wanted to mention but didn't really find a place in this chapter for it. Those who follow RWBY know that most of if not all characters have an emblem. Natsu has one too. His is similar to Weiss'. Except that in the middle there is a dragon's head with its mouth open and a flame inside. It's in the same place and is the same color as his Fairy Tail emblem in regular canon.**

 **With all that being said leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. A Rocky Initiation

"Finally, we get to hit something!"

"Stop yelling so loud. It's embarrassing."

Having had a rather peaceful night's sleep, Natsu had been ecstatic all morning. Today was initiation day, and he was aiming to become the top Huntsman right out of the gate. His sister on the other hand was much less enthused about the prospect.

"Lighten up, Weiss." Natsu smiled, pulling down his black and gold scaled finger-less gloves over his hands and fastening them. "Beating up Grimm is what we came here for, right?"

"No that is what **you** came to Beacon for...at least I think it is. I came retain our family's good name and stature in the community."

"Is that all you ever think about?"

"Don't start with me, Mr. Brawl-for-all."

"What's wrong with a good brawl?"

"Agh! You sound like dad!" Natsu heard a familiar voice echo in the locker room. He also heard the slam of a locker soon after.

Natsu looked around the corner of his own locker, seeing Ruby talking with her sister just a few feet away.

"Yo! Ruby!" he yelled.

The hooded girl turned her head, her eyes lighting up upon seeing her friend. "Natsu! Hey!"

"Come on, Weiss." Natsu said to his sister, beckoning her to join him.

"I'll pass." She declined. She promptly walked off with her arms crossed, but Natsu didn't really seem to mind. He simply shrugged his shoulders and made his way over to Ruby and Yang on his own.

"What's up?" he greeted.

"Nothing much." Ruby answered with a smile. "Yang is just trying to convince me to 'meet new people' and 'try new things' and blah blah blah."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What does any of that have to do with fighting?"

"Exactly! Finally someone understands!"

Yang sighed. "All I'm saying is that you have to think things through a bit more and grow up some, Ruby. What about when we have to form teams?"

Suddenly Ruby's confidence faltered. She looked everywhere but to her sister. "I-I don't know…I'll just be on your team…or something."

Yang didn't seem too keen on this idea. "Or maybe you could be on someone else's team…like Nathan over there."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "Natsu." he corrected. He could tell from Yang's grin that she was saying his name wrong on purpose.

"You guys look like you're getting along well." she continued.

Ruby put her hands on her hips and bent towards her sister. "My dear sister, Yang. Are you saying you don't want me to be on your team?" Ruby accused with a penetrating stare.

"Wha~t?" Yang waved her hands dismissively. "Of course not. I was just thinking that being on a team with someone new would help you break out of your shell."

"What?! That's ridiculous. Tell her, Natsu!"

"I don't mind if you're on a team with me." He said. "Just don't slow me down."

"That's not what I meant." Ruby whined.

While Natsu carried on his conversation with Ruby and Yang, his sister was making connections of her own. Weiss was stationed a few lockers down from Ruby, next to a girl with long red hair tied in a pony tail that flowed down to her waist.

She was quite tall – at least compared to Weiss – and her body appeared much more toned than some of the other girls at Beacon. As the heiress spoke to her, the girl was fixing and checking the long black gloves that extended past her elbows before affixing a metal brace over the left sleeve. Once she was done with that, she fastened her bronze gorget around her neck, as well as properly set her metal headpiece. Once all of the clothing was in order – including her shoulder less chest plate and cloth around her hip – she finally took out her weapons from her locker, a sword and a shield.

"So Pyrrha…" Weiss said. "Have you decided whose team you would like to be on? I'm sure a well-known individual such as yourself has had plenty of offers."

The red-haired girl thought of this for a moment. "I'm not sure right now. I was just planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Well if you have no other obligations, I was hoping you and I could form a team?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Pyrrha accepted with a smile.

"Great!" Weiss smiled. _Perfect! The smartest girl in class teaming with the strongest girl in class! Add in Natsu, and the three of us will be an unstoppable force the likes of which Beacon has never seen!_ Weiss began to fantasize with a sly look on her face. _We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grades! Nothing can come between us!_

"You know what else is great?" a slightly nasally voice forced Weiss from her delusions. She turned around, coming face to face with the blonde-haired boy from the entrance ceremony.

"Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." He introduced himself as suave as he could, his body leaning against the lockers to prevent Weiss from seeing anyone but him, unfortunately this meant that Pyrrha was blocked off.

"You again?" Weiss scoffed.

Pyrrha stepped around Jaune's back and into his line of sight. "Nice to meet you, Jaune."

"Yeah. Yeah." Jaune quickly moved the redhead out of the way, his attention still on the upset heiress. "So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness for me the other day." He flexed his non-existent muscles.

"You can't be serious." She facepalmed.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed. Happens to the best of us. I've been hearing a lot about teams lately and I started to think that you and I would make a great one. What do ya say?"

"Actually…" Pyrrha interrupted. "I believe that teams are actually comprised of four people so-"

"You don't say." Jaune finally stood face to face with Pyrrha. "Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and you can join the winning team." He boasted.

Weiss forced herself between the two. "Jaune, was it? Do you have any idea who this is?"

"Not at all, snow angel." He replied sweetly.

"This is Pyrrha."

"Hello again." The redhead waved.

"She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum." Weiss explained.

"Never heard of it." Jaune quickly said.

Weiss gasped but quickly regained her wits. "She won the Mistral tournament four years in a row. She broke the record."

Jaune was still lost. "A what?"

Weiss was starting to lose her patience. She flailed her arms wildly in her anger. "She's on the cover of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

Jaune gasped in shock. "That was you?!" he pointed at Pyrrha. "They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

Pyrrha looked away in embarrassment and smiled. "Yeah. It was pretty cool. Sadly the cereal isn't really good for you."

Weiss re-inserted herself into the conversation. "Now after learning all of this, do you really think someone like you is in a position to be on her team?" Weiss asked Jaune. Since her back was turned, she did not notice the slightly irritated stare that Pyrrha was aiming at her back.

Jaune glumly sulked. "I guess not." He sighed deeply. "Sorry."

Pyrrha reassured Jaune with a hand on his shoulder. "Actually, Jaune, I think you'd make a great leader."

The boy's spirits instantly renewed. "Oh stop it!" he said playfully.

"Seriously, please stop." Weiss said. "This type of behavior should not be encouraged."

Jaune was in her face again. "Sounds like Pyrrha is onboard for Team Jaune. Spots are filling up fast. Now normally I wouldn't do this, but just this once I think I can make an exception. Pull some strings and open a spot for you. What do ya say?" He leaned in and Weiss backed away.

"Alright, that is much too close. Pyrrha, a little help please?"

The redhead grabbed her sword and drew back her arm. Her weapon changed into a spear and she lunged forward, throwing it into the hood of Jaune's sweatshirt and pinning him to nearby pillar.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized.

"Nice shot." Natsu complimented. He had just finished talking to Ruby and Yang and decided to see what all the commotion was about.

"Perfect timing!" Weiss grabbed his arm and pulled him in front. "Pyrrha, this is my brother Natsu. Natsu this is Pyrrha Nikos. Remember when we would watch the Mistral tournaments with Father? She's the girl that won four times in a row. She was also the top student at Sanctum."

"It's nice to meet you, Natsu." Pyrrha extended her hand with a smile.

Natsu remembered seeing Pyrrha on the holo-screens back home. He could never forget something like that. She was ferocious on the battlefield. Her skill was unmatched. So much so that no one had ever seen her Semblance during those tournaments.

Some speculated that Pyrrha didn't even have a Semblance, but Natsu knew better. Most powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses had a Semblance and Pyrrha was no exception. For example, Natsu's sisters' semblances were Glyphs with a wide variety of uses either as shields, pulling or pushing objects, or using them as a means of travel. Pyrrha was just so strong that she never had to make use of hers.

Natsu looked down at Pyrrha's hand and then to her face. She seemed nervous for some reason.

Pyrrha's arm was starting to get tired from holding it so long, but she kept her smile as best she could.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Weiss whispered. "Shake her hand. You're messing this up for us."

Natsu looked back down to Pyrrha's hand. He wondered how hard she could hit. Was a punch from her strong enough to the dent the lockers? Was it enough to shatter the pillar behind him? Did she fight with her hands at all?

At last Natsu's gaze trailed upward, his narrowed black eyes meeting Pyrrha's emerald green orbs – which slowly widened.

There was this tension between them. A pressure that started at the top of their heads and ended at the tips of their toes. For Natsu it was the excitement of finding a strong opponent…Pyrrha didn't know what she felt.

She struggled to find something to say to make the mood more comfortable. Staring always made her a bit uneasy. "I-is there something wrong?" she anxiously asked.

Natsu's grin was animalistic. His voice clear and frim when he answered.

"I'm going to kick your ass."

Natsu's declaration shocked both Pyrrha and Weiss. The former quickly withdrew her hand, now even more confused on how to proceed or what to say. Weiss was speechless. She didn't know whether to be surprised at her brother's vulgar language, or angry that he just ruined her chance with Pyrrha.

"I…I'm sorry?" was the startled redhead's only reply.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Weiss shouted at her brother.

Natsu remained silent, his eyes still focused on Pyrrha. Just then the intercom sounded.

"All first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, will all first year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation? Thank you."

"Come on. If we don't hurry we'll be late." Weiss grabbed Natsu by the ear pulled him out of the locker room, muttering irritably along the way.

"Ow! Ow! Ow~!" Natsu yelped. "Let go, Weiss! You'll tear my ear off!"

"What was that about?" Yang asked her sister as they watched the siblings exit the locker room.

"Don't know." Ruby shurgged. "Maybe Natsu and that Pyrrha girl have some kind of history."

"Um…Help?" Jaune weakly called, still stuck to the pillar. "Someone?"

Pyrrha was finally shaken from her stunned silence by Jaune's pleas. She walked over to the pillar, pulling her spear from his hood to free him.

"I-it was nice meeting you." She said absently.

"Likewise…" Jaune replied, slowly sliding to the ground.

Pyrrha didn't hear Jaune's words. Her mind was still on Natsu.

* * *

Professor Ozpin paced in front of all the students standing near the edge of Beacon cliffs. Each of them stood on a metal platform, the significance of which would be explained to them shortly.

"For years you have trained to become warriors." He said. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald forest." He directed their eyes to the expansive forest just below the cliff. Tress stretched as far as the eye could see. It seemed like it went on forever.

"Now I'm sure that many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." Glynda said to the students next. "So let us put an end to your confusion right now. Each of you will be given teammates…today."

"Huh?" Ruby muttered worriedly.

Ozpin spoke again. "These teammates will be with you during the rest of your tenure here at Beacon. So it would be in your best interest to pair with someone you can work well with."

Ruby whimpered again.

"That being said. The first person you make eye contact with after you land…will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?!" she exclaimed.

Just like that Ruby's world shattered. She was completely prepared to go through school alone – or at least with her sister – but now things were completely different. Chances were good that she would have to be paired with a stranger for the rest of her high school life.

"See?" a girl with pink hair explained to the young man to her right. The two had spoken about the possibility of being on a team earlier in the locker room. "I told you, Ren."

"Yes you did, Nora." The young man sighed.

"After all of you find your partners..." Ozpin continued. "You will make your way to the northern end of the forest. Remember, this area is wrought with peril. So do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path…or you will die."

Natsu punched his fist into his palm. "Now you're talking." He said eagerly.

"If we get separated find me, ok?" Weiss instructed.

"Yeah. Yeah. I got it."

Pyrrha glanced at Natsu for a brief moment before facing forward again.

Jaune laughed weakly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation." Ozpin said. "But our instructors will not intervene on your behalf. At the end of the path you will find an abandoned temple containing several relics. Each pair will grab one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we grade you appropriately."

"Come on, let's get on with it already!" Natsu complained. "I wanna fight!"

"Natsu, hush!" Weiss hissed.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked.

Natsu raised his hand. "Yeah. Are you done yapping so we can start?"

"Natsu!" Weiss shrieked again. "Please excuse my brother, Professor Ozpin." she bowed. "He's not one for patience...or manners."

"Hey!"

Glynda sighed.

Blake remained silent.

Yang giggled. "He's kind of an idiot isn't he?"

"I think it's kind of cool." Ruby defended. "I wanna get started too."

Ozpin grinned at Natsu. "Yes, Mr. Schnee. I am done 'yapping'. Let's begin."

Juane raised. "Actually, sir, I have a question-"

"Take your positions." Ozpin instructed, completely ignoring the blonde. All of the students readied themselves for what lied ahead, with the exception of Jaune – whose hand was still half-raised.

"Sir, I have a question." he repeated.

Suddenly Weiss was launched into the air by the platform she stood on.

"So this landing strategy thing…are you, like, dropping us off or something?"

Next person taking flight was Natsu.

"No." Ozpin answered, taking a sip of his coffee. "You will be falling."

Blake was next to fly, followed by Pyrrha.

"I see…" Jaune replied unsteadily. "So did you prepare parachutes for us or something?" he tried to block out the sounds of people being flung through the air.

"No. You will be using your own landing strategy." Ozpin answered calmly.

Nora and Ren were launched next, the former letting out a squeal of glee.

Yang winked at her sister before putting on a pair of sunglasses. "See ya on the other side, sis." With that she was launched.

Ruby grinned at Jaune before taking flight. He was the last one left on the cliff.

"So, what is a landing strategy~!" before Jaune could properly finish his sentence he was shot into the air.

Ozpin looked to his soaring students. He took another sip of coffee. "Let's see how well they will do, shall we?"

"Yes, sir."

He stood on the edge of the cliff sipping his coffee, Glynda by his side as Jaune's frightened cries echoed in the air.

* * *

All around students were using various means to safely land themselves on the ground.

Weiss used platforms created out of her glyphs to safely make her descent. Ren loosed his Stormflower pistols from the sleeves of his tailcoat, using the sickles attached to the weapon to stick to a tree and spiral down its trunk. Yang boosted through the air with her Ember Celica gauntlets. Falling into the canopy of tree, she braced herself for impact. Rolling when she reached the ground.

Pyrrha held her shield in front of her as she fell the through the canopy of several trees. She then landed on a branch of another tree, quickly changing her spear into its rifle configuration. She looked through scope for any other students, her eyes happening to catch a flailing Jaune still screaming through the air. She changed her weapon back to a spear. Carefully checking the distance and wind resistance, Pyrrha cast her weapon through the sky, rounds propelling it faster as it caught Jaune by his jacket hood and stuck him to a tree.

"Thank you!" his voice called.

Pyrrha smiled and jumped down from the tree.

Ruby changed her Crescent Rose into it's rifle mode, firing off shot after shot in front of herself to slow her momentum. When she was close enough to a tree, she changed Crescent Rose back into a scythe.

Turning her body upright against the force of the wind, Ruby managed to catch Crescent Rose's blade on the one of the trees branches. Using her momentum to swing around around the branch once, she let go. Launching herself further forward. When she finally landed on the ground, she let her body settle from the force of gravity before taking off in a run.

 _Gotta find Yang!_ She frantically thought. _Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang!_

"Yang!" Ruby cried out as she raced through the forest. "Ya~ng!"

She recieved no answer.

 _This is bad. This is really bad!_ _What if I can't find her? Or worse what if someone else finds her first? Who would I partner with then?!_ Ruby began to think of alternatives.

 _There's always Jaune. He's nice, and he's funny…_ Ruby's smile started to fade. _I don't think he's very good in a fight though._ Soon another person popped into her head.

 _What about Blake? So mysterious. So calm. Plus she likes reading! I like reading!_ Ruby's smile once again wavered when she remembered their non-talk yesterday. _Then again I don't think I could hold a conversation with her._

 _What about Natsu?! I know he can hold his own in a fight! He's also really nice! And He's cool...and a bit weird._ Suddenly Ruby thought of Weiss - more accuratley she remember the heiress' scowl. _I bet he's partnered with his sister already. Think, Ruby! Who do you know at this school so far?_ Y _ang, Jaune, Blake, Natsu, and…_

"Natsu~?! Natsu, where are you?!" After no one answered, Weiss placed her hands on her hips and stopped walking. "Don't tell me we got separated this far apart already. I have to find him before someone else does. Natsu~?!"

Weiss heard the dirt behind her kick up and she turned around, just in time to see Ruby slide to a halt. The girls' eyes met. They both knew what this encounter meant, but they both had wildly different reactions.

Ruby's eyes went wide, her stare a mix of apprehension, optimism, and gratefulness. Weiss' eyes narrowed in a mix of irritation, apathy, and frustration. The pair looked at one another for a few seconds before Weiss promptly turned on her heel and walked away, choosing to resume her search for her brother.

"Wait!" Ruby called. "Where are you going?!"

Weiss ignored the young girl and walked through some shrubbery, leaving Ruby all alone.

The hooded looked to her feet sadly, kicking around the dirt in a fit of disappointment. "We're supposed to be teammates." She muttered.

"Ow." Weiss winced, almost falling over and scratching her leg on one of the branches of the bushes she walked through. She let out an irritated sigh, wiping away the excess leaves from her bolero sleeve. _There is no way I am partnering with that girl. Now…where is Natsu?_ Hearing someone grunting and fidgeting Weiss looked up.

High in the tree in front of her was Jaune, struggling to free his hood from what appeared to be Pyrrha's spear. Oddly enough the red-haired warrior was nowhere in sight.

Jaune stopped squirming when he noticed Weiss looking up at him. He meekly waved to her in a attempt to solicit her help, but she turned his back to him; going back the way she came without uttering so much as a word.

"Wait!" Jaune called.

Weiss met back up with Ruby – who standing in the same spot - and grabbed her by the hood. "By no means does this make us friends." She stated as she dragged the now excited girl behind her.

"You came back!" Ruby exclaimed happily, throwing her hands in the air.

Jaune panicked as he watched the two move further and further away from him.

"Hey! Come back!" he pleaded. "Who's gonna get me down from here?!"

Soon Weiss and Ruby were gone, leaving Jaune all by himself.

"Great." He sighed. "Just great.

* * *

Natsu soared though the sky, shouting with joy as the wind hit his face. "Yea~h!" The further he went flew, the more the forest grew beneath him. He would be hitting the ground soon.

"Time to make a landing."

Natsu clenched his fists tightly and his black gloves changed into black and gold gauntlets that stretched up his forearms. He pointed his arms in front - triggers fitting into his hands - shooting out rounds of dust that slowed his drop into the forest. Unfortunately he waited too long to prepare a landing.

"Crap! Crap! Crap! Cra~p!"

Bracing himself for impact, Natsu barreled through several trees at full force before eventually planting back first into the side of a large rock. His body left an impression in the stone.

"Ow~." he groaned slowly sliding down the rock to the ground. He landed upside down, but quickly turned himself upright. "Could have timed that a little better." he said.

He massaged the back of his neck, his eyes surveying the area of the forest he landed in.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. He raised his nose in the air and started to sniff. "I don't smell Weiss. She's probably too far away." He stood up and started to walk around, his nose still in the air. "Can't smell Ruby or her sister either. Where is everyone? Did I get lost already? Aw man! At this rate I'll fail!"

Natsu entered a clearing, his nose finally picking up the scent of someone familiar. "This smell…" his eyes widened. "It's that black haired chick from yesterday! Maybe she can help me find the others!" Natsu started to move in the direction of Blake, but a rustling of shrubs stopped him in his tracks. He readied his weapons.

 _A Grimm? No it's way too small. Doesn't smell like one either. Smells human. It smells like..._ Natsu lowered his gauntlets, and saw a head of red hair poke out of the bushes. It was Pyrrha.

She looked left and right. "Strange. I'm sure I threw it in this direction." She said to herself. She stepped out of the bushes and into the clearing. "I should keep moving forward. Hopefully I can reach Jaune before any Grimm-"

"Hey." Natsu called.

Pyrrha looked forward. When she finally noticed Natsu had been there the entire time, she froze. Her eyes wide. _I wasn't expecting to find **this** person._

Natsu smiled wide at Pyrrha. "You're the first person I've seen so far." He said. "Guess that makes us partners."

Pyrrha slowly nodded, trying to compose herself as best she could. "Y-yes. I suppose it does."

* * *

 **Next chapter is done and in the books!**

 **Surprised I got this up as quickly as I did. Guess I was just on a roll.**

 **As you can see this is the start of the story slowly shifting away from canon. Hopefully you all will like the changes.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	4. Temple Run

_Honestly, how hard is it to find a boy with bright pink hair in the forest?_ Weiss wondered irritably as she walked through the forest. Her pace was brisk and deliberate, which made it difficult for her "partner" to keep up.

"What's the hurry?!" Ruby shouted, finally catching up to the annoyed heiress.

"I will not let your sluggishness be what makes me fail this course." Weiss retorted. "I swear if I get a bad grade because of you I-"

In a haze of what looked to be rose petals, Ruby appeared in front of Weiss. The sudden movement almost gave the snow-haired girl a heart attack.

"Wha-what in the…how did you-?"

"See." Ruby pointed her thumb at herself, beaming with pride. "You don't have to worry about me slowing you down, Weiss."

Weiss looked behind herself again. "When did you-"

"Just because I don't know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters." Ruby stated.

Weiss crossed her arms in a showing of doubt but Ruby leaned over and pulled her in.

"You're going to see a whole different side of me today." Ruby proclaimed. "And when it's all said and done you're going to be like: 'Wow. That Ruby girl is really, really cool…and I want to be her friend.'"

Before Weiss could voice her opinion, Ruby whooshed away again.

The heiress batted away petals left by Ruby away from her head. "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time!" she called out. Soon an uneasy quiet settled around Weiss. "Ruby?" she called, but received no audible answer. She was all alone now. All that she heard were the sounds of the bushes and leaves rustling.

"Ruby?!"

The rustling got louder and closer, but there was still no sign of hooded girl. Fear starting to set in, Weiss called out the only other name she knew. "Natsu? Is that you?"

Hearing the growl of something not human, Weiss quickly got on guard. In the bushes around her she could see red lights. Each one getting closer and gorwing brighter. She heard a twig snap behind her and turned around, her eyes meeting with the white mask and of a Beowolf.

* * *

"Hello~?! Anybody out there?! Hello~?! I'm starting to get bored here."

In another area of the forest, Yang Xiao Long walked through the thick mists in search of any signs of intelligent life. Suffice to say her search had turned up nothing in the past thirty minutes. Stopping for a moment, Yang took in her surroundings in an attempt to get a feel for where she was.

"This sucks." She sighed.

Hearing a bush rustling she quickly turned in the direction of the sound.

"Someone there?"

She walked to the bushes, slowly peeking through them to see what made the sound on the other side. Thinking it was her sister playing a joke, Yang called out to her.

"Ruby, is that you?"

Hearing a low guttural roar, Yang's eyes trailed upward to something that was indeed not her sister.

"N~ope."

Yang dove to the left, narrowly avoiding the swiping claws of an Ursa Minor. Yang readied her Ember Celica just in time to avoid another Ursa Minor lunging for her from out of the bush she had rolled in front of.

The first Ursa dashed forward to attack again, but this time Yang was prepared.

She drew back her fist, her Ember Celica firing off a round as she plunged her fist into the creature's exposed stomach. She knocked it flat on its back. The other Ursa took its shot next.

Yang ducked under the beast's claws and answered with an uppercut, raising them both into the air. In one fluid motion she fired her Ember Celica again, the force turning her body so she could kick the monster in the chest; sending it rolling backwards onto its stomach.

"You guys haven't seen a girl with a red hood anywhere have you?" Yang playfully asked.

The Ursai rose from the ground and roared in the blonde's face.

"Geez. You could have just said no."

One of the Ursa charged again, this time standing on its hind legs as it slashed its claws at the flippant blonde. Yang ducked under the first swipe. When the Ursa swung downward Yang pushed off her feet and did a back handspring. Satisfied by her ability to avoid being slashed in two, the girl laughed at the Ursai.

"Wow. You guys couldn't hit the broad side of a…" Yang trailed off when a strand of her hair floated in front of her face. She watched in horror as it touched the ground.

Slowly her upbeat demeanor faded, giving way to an anger that confused the Ursai.

"You…" she snarled. Yang looked to the beasts, her eyes glowing as red as theirs. "You monster!" Yang raced forward, attacking the Ursa that cut her precious hair with a furry of blows. Round after round fired from her Ember Celica, her punches and kicks moving and faster by the second. With one final punch she annihilated the Ursa, sending it barreling through a group of trees in a violent trail of fire.

The other Ursa charged, but when Yang – eyes still red – glared at the beast, it stopped in its tracks.

"You want some too?!" She challenged. "Come on!"

The lone Ursa prepared to strike when suddenly, there was a sound of the air being cut. The beast stood still for a moment before falling onto its stomach. Dead.

Yang looked past the fallen beast and saw Blake, holding in her hand a black ribbon that was wrapped around the hilt of the blade stuck in the creature's back.

The bow-wearing girl tugged on the ribbon, the blade easily slipping out of the Ursa's back and into the air. Blake effortlessly caught the hilt in her hand on the way down.

She sheathed her weapon in the scabbard on her back, smirking at Yang as if to say: "You're welcome."

Yang - unfazed by this - shrugged her shoulders. "I could have taken him."

* * *

"We should be getting close by now."

Natsu stepped through the shrubs, holding them open so Pyrrha could follow.

"Thank you." She said after passing by him.

After a rather awkward meeting from the redhead's perspective, Natsu and Pyrrha were on a journey to find Juane.

Pyrrha was hesitant to ask Natsu for his help at first, but after explaining the situation, she was pleasantly surprised at how eager the pinkette was to help. Following a somewhat uncomfortable moment where Natsu had to sniff Pyrrha to get the scent of her weapon, the two unlikely partners were on their way. Natsu naturally leading the excursion because of his nose.

The trip was a relatively silent one, the only words exchanged between the two since they met being the explanation of their mission, as well as quick thank you when one helped the other along the path in some way.

Pyrrha was rightfully uneasy with following behind Natsu. Her mind was still reeling from what he said to her before the exam.

 _He is completely different than he was before._ She thought. _Did I imagine what he said to me?_ Pyrrha recalled their meeting in the locker room.

 _"I'm going to kick your ass."_

The words were as clear as day. _No. I definitely did not imagine that. So why is he so calm and…nice now?_

"Don't worry. We're not lost."

Natsu's sudden words brought Pyrrha out of her head.

"I-I'm sorry?"

"That's what you've been wondering isn't it? That we're lost?" Natsu moved more branches out of the way."It's ok. I've got the best nose a non-Faunus could have. We're almost there."

"O-oh. That's good." Pyrrha nodded. "But that's not what I was thinking about. Something has been on my mind. A question."

"Shoot."

"Well…I've been meaning to ask…have I offended you in some way that I am not aware of?"

"No? At least I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that back in the locker room, when I attempted to shake your hand, you said that you were going to…" Pyrrha cleared her throat so she could speak more clearly. "You said that you were going to kick my…'butt'."

Natsu suddenly started to laugh, confusing the redhead.

"Did I say something funny?"

Natsu stopped and turned around, wiping a tear from his eye as he settled down. "No. You didn't say anything funny."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"I just remembered I said that."

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "You just remembered?" she repeated in shock. "You said it less than an hour ago."

"Sorry. That happens sometimes. When I meet someone strong I just blurt out the first thing that pops into my head." He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"That's a rather rude way to introduce yourself to someone." Pyrrha said.

"I know. Weiss said the same thing, but I can't help it. I hope I didn't make you mad or anything."

"No. You didn't offend me. It was just caught off-guard. No one's ever been that…blunt with me before."

"So…you wanna do it?"

"Do what?"

"Fight me."

"I hardly think now is the time to be battling. Especially while we're in the middle of searching for someone who could be in danger."

"Not now. Later. When this initiation thing is done."

Pyrrha looked at Natsu straight on. He was practically bouncing up and down at the prospect of fighting her. It was a bit odd. She had never seen someone so eager to fight with her. After so many victories in the Mistral tournament, Pyrrha had gained the unwanted reputation of being a person that was hard to approach. No matter where she went people always shirked back as if she had the plague. They viewed themselves as lower than her. It was frustrating.

Natsu, however, was different. He knew full well who Pyrrha Nikos was, but he wasn't afraid. He didn't view her as better than him. In fact he found her reputation all the more enticing. The look in his eyes oozed confidence. He didn't care about her esteem at all. If anything he thought beating her would knock her down a peg or two.

"I…I don't usually engage in non-sanctioned battles." Pyrrha said quickly, unable to meet Natsu's gaze.

Natsu's shoulders slumped, his confidence fading into disappointment. "Really?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Fine." Natsu sighed in acceptance. "I can't force ya to fight me. Sucks though. I think it would have been pretty fun." He started moving through the bushes again, Pyrrha following behind.

"Did you only partner with me because you wanted to fight?"

"No I partnered with you because you were the first person I saw. Those were the rules the old guy said right?"

"Oh yes. Those were the rules."

"Besides…I was thinking we could be friends."

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "F-friends? You wish to be friends…with me?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I? You seem like a pretty nice person, and my sister likes you – which is actually kind of impressive since she barely likes anybody. Also…" Natsu looked over his shoulder at Pyrrha and smiled wide. "We're partners, right? Can't be good partners without being friends first."

Pyrrha was speechless. Her cheeks turned red. "I…I-"

"We're here."

Pyrrha quickly the stars out of her eyes and stood next to Natsu – albeit at a manageable distance.

In front of the pair was a large tree.

"Is this where Jaune was?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah this is where the scent ends. If your spear did catch him he would have been stuck to this tree."

"Then where is he?" Pyrrha looked around the area. "Do you think he found some way to free himself?"

"Maybe." Natsu's eyes caught something on the bark of the tree. "I see something."

"What is it?"

Natsu scaled the tree with impressive speed. He felt the bark, his fingers rubbing along the three deep indentations.

"Claw marks."

"Claws?!" Pyrrha gasped. "That must mean a Grimm found him!"

Natsu jumped down from the tree. "Yeah. That's what I was thinking."

"I should have found him sooner!" Pyrrha cursed herself. "If I had then he-"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up." Natsu said, putting his hands on Pyrrha's arms. "We'll find him."

"But how? We have no idea where he was taken."

Natsu grinned and tapped the side of his nose. "I got this remember? I'll find him in no time."

"Of course." Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you, Natsu. I lost sight of myself for a second."

"No worries, partner. Now let's find Jaune."

"Right!"

The two searched the ground, looking for anything that might have belonged to the blonde. Pyrrha found a shield not far from the tree.

"Natsu, I found something!"

She held the weapon to him.

"Awesome! Let me see." Natsu sniffed around the shield. He then closed his eyes, lifted his nose into the air, and sniffed again.

"Well? Do you smell anything?"

Natsu's nose twitched and he opened his eyes. He looked past the tree and pointed.

"That way. Smell's still pretty strong. That means he wasn't nabbed too long ago."

"Then we should hurry." Pyrrha advised.

"Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Weiss slid back on her heels, coming to a full stop a few meters away from the Beowolf that attacked. She slowly stood up, her Myrtenaster rapier in hand as she took stock of her surroundings. She was surrounded by Beowolves – six at her last count. Unafraid of the monster's snarling at her, the dignified heiress readied herself for battler.

 _Remember your training, Weiss. Head up. Shoulders back. Right foot forward._

She slid her foot back a couple of centimeters.

 _Not that forward._ Her eyes narrowed. _Slow your breathing. Wait for the right time to strike. And…_

She held her blade close, the rotating of the dust cartridges sounding in her ears. When it stopped she was ready.

 _Now!_

Weiss sped forward, prepared to strike down the Beowolf ahead of her until Ruby suddenly reappeared.

"Gotcha!" the hooded girl announced, cutting into the beast with the blade of Crescent Rose.

Her concentration broken, Weiss lost her balance and stumbled forward. She cut her weapon away from Ruby, creating a trail of fire that scorched a nearby tree.

"Huh?"

Ruby heard the noise and looked to Weiss, allowing the Beowolf to counterattack. It swiped at her, Ruby barely managing to block with Crescent Rose as she was sent flying back into Weiss.

"Hey, watch it!" she sniped at the heiress.

"Excuse me? You attacked out of turn. I could have killed you."

"You'll have to try harder than that." Ruby muttered under her breath.

The two stood back to back as more Beowolves arrived. The situation was growing worse by the second. Ruby reloaded Crescent Rose's chamber and prepared to attack, but was stopped by Weiss when an ignited tree fell near them.

"We have to go."

The heiress grabbed her reluctant partner and pulled her away. The Beowolves also escaped into the forest, frightened by the growing flames.

The two students managed to escape the beasts, briefly stopping at the top of a hill to catch their breath.

"What was that?!" Ruby demanded, pointing at the rising smoke in the distance. "That fight should have been easy!"

"Perhaps if you had exercised even the slightest bit of caution with the placement of your strikes, then perhaps I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!" Weiss retorted. "I swear you're worse than my brother."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It mean that I find it amazing that someone who talks so much, could communicate so little during a fight!"

"Well I'm sorry that you need my help to take down a few mangy Beowolves. I'm just fine on my own."

"Well then congratulations on being the strongest child to sneak your way into Beacon." Weiss – fully fed up with this conversation – started to walk off. "Bravo."

In her anger, Ruby cut down a tree, a large black feather slowly falling to the ground as she followed the heiress.

* * *

"Please, Mr. Beowolf, you really don't wanna eat me. Honest. I'm really stringy and gamey. I also sweat a lot. That ruins the meat, you know. You don't want something like that to eat do you?" Jaune looked to the two other Beowolves. "Come on, guys. Help me out here."

The first Beowolf roared in Jaune's face.

"Y-you're right. My bad." He quickly apologized. He hunched his body over the monster's shoulder as it carried him to parts unknown.

 _Is this really how it ends me?_ Jaune wondered. _I haven't even been in Beacon a week and I'm going to get eaten by a gang of Beowolves. That has to be some kind of school record. So much for living up to the Arc name..._

"Jaune!" he heard a voice call.

The blonde looked up. His eyes widening when he saw a redhead and a young man with pink hair running towards him.

"Pyrrha, is that you?! Help!" He frantically waved his arms around.

"Hold on! We'll save you!"

"Look!" Natsu pointed at the spear in the hand of the Beowolf holding Jaune. "Is that your weapon?"

"Yes!" Pyrrha nodded. "I have an idea. You go on ahead and rescue Jaune."

"Ok!"

Natsu continued to race forward as Pyrrha slowed down.

Coming to a full stop, she held out her hand. Her spear started to wiggle in the monster's claws before forcing itself out and zooming back to its rightful owner.

Natsu jumped into a tree and watched the spear return to Pyrrha. _That have to do with her Semblance?_ _I want to fight her even more now._ He looked back to the trio of Beowolves. _But first things first._

Natsu leapt from the tree as soon as the first Beowolf turned around, his gauntlets forming over his hands. Falling through the air at a fantastic speed, Natsu's fist landed square on the creature's face. Forcing it to let go of Jaune as it was sent flying through the nearest tree.

Natsu caught Jaune as he fell.

"Thanks." The blonde said in gratitude. "I thought I was done for sure."

Natsu lifted Jaune into the air.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Pyrrha! Catch!" Natsu shouted.

"Wait!"

Natsu slung a screaming Jaune to his partner, the redhead catching him in her arms with little difficulty.

"Are you alright?" she asked the dizzied blonde.

"Yeah…just great…" Jaune replied weakly. "Thanks for asking…"

"Now..." Natsu slammed his fists together, flames briefly firing out from his gauntlets. "On to you guys." He grinned cockily at the roaring Beowolves. "Bring it."

The second Beowolf leapt forward and took a swing, but Natsu ducked. Forcing his head upward, Natsu hitting the beast under the chin.

While the monster was off-balance, Natsu punched its chest. The impact created a shockwave that came out of the creature's back, sending it flying back.

"Whoa." Jaune gasped.

Pyrrha nodded. _I've never seen someone hit that hard._

The third Beowolf lunged at Natsu but this time the pinkette sidestepped, allowing the creature's arm to barely miss him. Natsu grabbed the monster's claw and hefted it into the air – once again shocking Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Man, you're heavy!" Natsu said as the Beowolf flailed around in the air. "Down you go!" he threw the beast, its body colliding with the second Beowolf that was just starting to stir. "That all you got?!" Natsu taunted.

The Beowolves slowly rose up from the ground, their angered roars echoing in the air. Jaune and Pyrrha covered their ears from the harsh sound but Natsu stood unimpeded.

"That's more like it." He smirked. "Come on!"

The Beowolves sprinted forward, as did Natsu. He held out his hands to his sides, his gauntlets forming into claws over his hands. He swiftly cut through the monsters, leaving his claw marks in their bodies.

The monsters stood still for a few more seconds before falling over dead, their bodies emitting smoke.

Natsu turned to face the fallen creatures. A disgruntled look on his face. "I thought they would have put up a better fight than that." He grumbled with a pout. "Are there any more around here?"

Giving up his search Natsu shrugged his shoulders and walked to Jaune and Pyrrha. "Guess it's time to go."

Suddenly the first Beowolf burst forth from the rubble, heading straight for an unsuspecting Natsu.

"Look out!" Jaune shouted.

Natsu turned around just as the Beowolf prepared to strike when a gunshot went off. The bullet hit the creature right between the eyes, causing it to fall over. Finally dead.

Natsu turned and saw Pyrrha standing with her rifle pointed towards him, smoke rising from the barrel. He smiled wide and gave her a thumbs up.

"Nice shot, partner!"

Pyrhha smiled softly, returning his thumbs up with one of her own.

* * *

"It seems our last pair has been formed, sir."

Glynda walked to Professor Ozpin as he sipped his coffee on the edge of Beacon Cliff. She showed him the screens on her tablet. Each one showed a different group of students.

"Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy. I can't imagine those two getting along in the least." Glynda directed Ozpin's eyes to the screen depicting a young man with long black hair tied in a low ponytail, and a light pink streak. He was looking at a girl with short orange hair as she hung upside down from a tree. For some reason she chirped like a bird and poked the young man's nose. Despite Glynda's words the two seemed to enjoy one another's company.

"Still…" Glynda clicked over to another feed, this one of Pyrrha, Natsu, and Jaune. "He's faring better than Miss Nikos."

"Hm?" Ozpin uttered. He was now slightly interested in what she was saying.

"I don't care what his transcripts say, that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat. And that Natsu Schnee or Dragneel or whatever his name is is no better. While I will admit he is more than capable of handling himself in a fight, it still baffles me that you let him in the school without so much as one passing grade from his previous institution."

By now Ozpin had tuned out.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Glynda started to walk back to the school. "At their current pace they should reach the temple in a matter of minutes. Speaking of which…" Glynda stopped walking and looked over her shoulder to Ozpin. "What did you use for relics this year?"

The professor remained silent.

"Professor Ozpin?" she called.

Ozpin again ignored Glynda, looking at his own tablet feeds. He watched Natsu's trio for a moment before switching over to Ruby and Weiss.

* * *

"It's this way. No its way. On second thought it's definitely this way."

Ruby sat on the ground with her legs crossed, pulling out grass and messing with leaves out of boredom as Weiss paced back and forth. They had been lost for over twenty minutes. Ruby was starting to lose patience.

Finally Weiss stopped wandering and stood in front of Ruby.

"It's official." She said. "We passed it."

At this Ruby chose to stand up.

"Why can't you just admit that you're lost?"

"Because I am not lost." The heiress retorted. "I know exactly where we're going." In truth Weiss had no idea where they were going. At times like these she wish she had her brother's sense of smell.

"Then where are we going?" Ruby inquired.

"Easy. We're going to…the forest temple."

Ruby groaned.

"Oh stop. You don't know where we're going either." Weiss said.

"At least I don't act like I know everything!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a big, stupid, jerk and I hate you." Ruby fumed.

Now it was Weiss' turn to groan. She turned her back to Ruby and walked away.

"Just keep moving." She ordered.

"Oh just keep moving. Hurry up. Watch we're you're going." Ruby mocked. "Why are you so bossy?!"

Weiss turned around. "How dare you? I am not bossy. Don't say things like that."

"Then stop treating me like a kid!"

"I will the moment you stop acting like one!"

"Stop acting like you're perfect!"

"I'm. Not. Perfect! At least not yet, but I'm still leagues better than you." Weiss began to walk away. "Hurry up. Once we meet up with my brother and the others...this partnership is done."

"You don't even know me…" Ruby said sadly.

* * *

Yang and Blake emerged from the trees and came upon a cliff. The pair saw what appeared to be an altar with small pillars housing some sort of artifacts below.

"Think this is it?" Yang asked her silent partner.

Blake jumped down from the cliff.

"Guess so."

Yang followed Blake onto the ruins. Upon closer inspection the items on the pillars were chess pieces. The ones to the right were black, while those on the left were gold.

Blake was confused.

"Looks like some of them are missing." Yang noted. "Guess we weren't the first ones here."

"Well…I guess we should pick one then." Blake suggested.

Yang walked over to the gold knight piece and picked it up. "How about a cute little pony?"

Blake grinned. "Sure."

The two met in the middle of the temple.

"That was easy." Yang smiled.

"Well it's not like this place was hard to find."

* * *

Explosions fired off in the distance.

"You hear that?"

"Gunfire. It seems that some of our comrades have encountered the enemy."

"I wish we encountered some more of them. I'm already bored."

Natsu, Pyrrha, and Jaune continued to travel through the forest in search of the temple.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Jaune asked Natsu.

"I've got this whole forest figured out. The place we're supposed to be is around here…somewhere." He answered.

"That doesn't sound very reassuring." Pyrrha said.

"Just trust me. I know where we're going."

"I almost forgot. Thanks for saving me earlier, you guys. I thought I was gonna be Grimm food." Jaune spoke up.

"Don't mention it." Natsu waved dismissively. "I was just helping a friend in danger."

"Friend?" Jaune repeated. "We're friends?"

"Yeah. We're motion sickness buddies. You don't go through something like that without making friends with the person."

Jaune's face fell. "Can we not mention that…ever again? Please?"

Pyrrha was confused.

"That aside. You were pretty awesome back there." Jaune complimented. "I've never seen anyone beat Grimm so fast."

Natsu beamed with pride, rubbing his finger under his nose. "Yeah I was pretty cool, wasn't I?"

"Good thing you're modest." Jaune joked.

"Oh, Jaune, you're bleeding." Pyrrha walked to the blonde, her eyes focused on the cut just under his left eye.

"Huh? This?" he felt the cut. "Guess I got it when those Grimm nabbed me. It's just a scratch."

"Why haven't you activated your Aura yet?"

Jaune tilted his head. "My what?"

"You're Aura."

"Still not following."

Pyrrha sighed. "Jaune…do you know what Aura is?"

"What? Of course I know what aura is." Jaune said defensively. "Do **you** know what aura is?"

Natsu started to snicker.

"Hey, don't make fun of me."

Pyrrha grinned.

"Aura is the manifestation of our souls." she explained to Jaune. "It bares our burdens, as well as shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you being watched, but saw that no one was there?"

Jaune nodded. "Uh…yeah, actually."

"That is what Aura is. With practice, it can become one's protection. Everyone has it. Even animals."

"What about the monsters? Do they have it?"

"No. The creatures we fight have no souls. They are the creatures of Grimm. The very manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness, and we are the light."

"And that's why we fight them?"

"It's not about why. It's about knowing."

"Knowing what?"

"Knowing about both darkness and light helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both. By bearing your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. As such, all of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura. In essence you project both your soul and yourself while fighting."

Jaune was still having trouble understanding.

"It's like a force field." Natsu spoke up. He had been sitting on a rock during the time Pyrrha had been talking to Jaune.

"That's a simplified way to look at it, yes." Pyrrha nodded.

"O~h." Jaune finally understood. "That makes much more sense."

Pyrrha walked to Jaune, placing her hand against his cheek.

"Now. Close your eyes and concentrate."

Jaune did as he was told and felt energy gather within his body.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality." Pyrrha chanted.

Natsu watched as both Pyrrha and Jaune's bodies started to glow. Hers red and his white.

"Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." Pyrrha finished and stepped back.

Jaune looked at his hands. They were still glowing. "What's happening?"

"I used my Aura to unlock yours. The energy that protects you now is your own." When she saw the cut on his face heal, she smiled. "You have a lot of it."

"Wow." Jaune smiled. "Thanks."

Pyrrha looked over to Natsu. "I can unlock yours as well if you wish."

"Uh ok. Sure." Natsu stepped forward and did just as Jaune had.

Pyrrha closed her eyes as well and placed her hand on his cheek. Her cheeks briefly turned red. _He's very warm._ She focused her Aura, her body glowing red once again. She soon found her consciousness entering Natsu's.

 _It's so dark in here._

Pyrrha floated around, trying to find the wellspring that housed Natsu's Aura. _Where is it?_ When she ventured deeper, she felt something odd.

"That's strange."

"What?" Natsu asked. "What's strange?"

"I feel…another presence within you. Another soul."

"Another soul?" Jaune repeated.

"What does that mean?" Natsu asked.

"Please stop moving." Pyrrha instructed.

As she descended deeper into Natsu's mind, the force that she felt grew stronger. Eventually Pyrrha came upon where the feeling was strongest, but still she saw nothing but darkness.

 _What? There is nothing here...but I still feel the presence._

Suddenly there was a rumbling.

 _What's going on?!_

Pyrrha watched in shock as an eye opened before her. It was massive. Almost as big as her entire body. It's piercing black pupil was surrounded by a bright yellow sclera.

Pyrrha's breath left her as she floated before the eye. _Wha-what is this?_

The eye began to glow, and a loud roar broke through the darkness, forcing the redhead out of Natsu mind.

"Agh!" she screamed.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune called, running to her side.

Natsu caught her before she hit the ground. "Pyrrha, what happened?! Talk to me!"

She slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Natsu she instinctively backed away to the nearest tree.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha realized what she was doing and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her racing heart. "I-it's nothing. I-I'm fine."

"Why did you freak out like that?" Jaune asked, helping her to her feet.

"I thought I saw something."

"What? What did you see?"

Pyrrha thought back to the eye of the creature she saw inside Natsu. When she replayed its roar, her blood ran cold.

"Nothing. I didn't see anything." she lied.

"But you said-"

"I was just exhausted from unlocking you Aura beforehand. I imagined things."

"Are you sure you-"Natsu moved to Pyrrha when he suddenly felt a burst of energy. The next instant his body burst into flames. "What's going on?!"

"Natsu, you're on fire!" Jaune panicked.

"Quick we have to find something to put him out!" Pyrrha shouted.

"Y-Yeah! You're right! We need water!"

"It's ok, guys!" Natsu said, stopping the pair. "It...it doesn't hurt…" he looked over his burning body and smiled. "Actually it feels kind of good."

"How does being on fire feel good?" Jaune questioned.

"He must have gone into shock." Pyrrha surmised.

Natsu clenched his fists and the fire ceased - much to the shock of his partners there wasn't a burn anywhere on his body, even his clothes were fine. When he opened them it came back. He slammed his fist into his open palm and the flames stopped again.

"This is awesome!" he screamed in delight. "I've never felt so powerful before. I feel like I could beat anybody!"

"Is that his Aura?" Jaune looked back to Pyrrha. She was also at a loss for words.

Natsu ran to his partner and grabbed her hand. "Thanks, Pyrrha! You're amazing!"

"Y-you're welcome." She blushed. "I'm glad I could help."

"Let's get moving!" Natsu pointed into the forest. "The others probably found the relics!" he ran off, leaving Pyrrha and Jaune behind.

"How can he be so happy after being on fire?" Jaune sighed. "Come on, Pyrrha."

"O-ok." Pyrrha nodded and followed Jaune. The pair now chasing behind Natsu.

 _I've never seen an Aura like that before. Is this because of that creature I saw inside of his body?_ Pyrrha looked at Natsu's smiling face in the distance. _What is he?_

"You guys are too slow!" the pink-haired teen shouted.

Jaune and Pyrrha finally caught up with Natsu. All three of them now standing in front of the entrance into a cave in the side of a cliff wall.

"A cave?" Pyrrha questioned.

"Is this where we're supposed to be?" Jaune asked Natsu.

"If I was hiding old relics, I'd put them in a cave." Natsu answered.

"Good point." Jaune found a stick to use as a torch. "Now we just need to find something to light it with."

"Coming right up."

Natsu snapped his fingers and a flame flickered on the edge of his index finger. He used the flame to light the torch.

"Thanks."

Jaune lead the way into the cave; Natsu and Pyrrha not far behind.

The deeper into the cave they went, the murkier and more unsettling the walk became.

"I don't think this is the right way." Pyrrha voiced her concern.

"Yeah, something in here doesn't smell right." Natsu added.

Jaune sighed. "I'm holding the torch. Could you guys humor me for at least five more feet?" Suddenly he tripped, dropping the torch into the muddy water below. The darkness quickly enveloped them, but Natsu quickly ignited his hand to illuminate the path again.

Jaune picked himself up from the ground and dusted himself off. "Ew." He said when his hand rubbed over the water on his sleeve.

Pyrrha looked around the cave. Something didn't feel right.

"Do you two feel that?" she asked the boys.

"Soul-crushing regret?" Jaune answered sarcastically.

"Hungry?" Natsu said, placing his hand on his growling stomach.

"No." Pyrrha said to both. "It's…warm."

"What's that?"

Natsu pointed ahead, spotting something gold glowing in the distance.

Jaune's eyes widened in excitement. "That's the relic!" he ran to the glowing object, but when he reached for it, it moved away. "Hey. Bad relic."

He tried again, but the object moved a second time. Fed up with this game, Jaune jumped and latched onto the object.

"Gotcha!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha warily called.

"Aw crap." Natsu voiced.

Jaune was slowly lifted into the air, and a host of red lights started to glow. When Jaune realized what it was he actually caught, he let out a high-pitched scream.

"What is that?!" Pyrrha shouted.

"We gotta go!" Natsu grabbed his partner by the arm and the two ran out of the cave, the monster inside following them.

When they cleared the cave entrance the creature burst out soon after, revealing itself to be a Death Stalker Grimm. It hissed angrily; snapping its claws while Jaune hung onto its stinger for dear life.

"It's not the relic!" he yelled in fright to his partners. "Guys, do something!"

"Jaune, hang on!" Pyrrha called. "And whatever you do don't let-"

Just then the Death Stalker whipped its tail, flinging Jaune further into the forest.

"Go." Pyrrha finished, watching helplessly as Jaune soared through the air.

"I'll go get him." Natsu volunteered. "You handle this thing."

"Natsu, wai-"

In a flash the pinkette was gone, leaving Pyrrha on her own to face the Death Stalker. She turned to confront it, holding her Milo javelin tightly as she slowly backed away. Seeing no way to defeat the creature on her own, Pyrrha took off after Natsu, the Death Stalker giving chase.

* * *

"Ruby! I told you this was a bad idea!"

"We're fine! Stop worrying!"

"I am so far beyond worrying!"

"…In a good way?!"

"No! In a bad way! A very bad way!"

Ruby and Weiss were currently soaring thousands of meters above the forest…on the back of a Nevermore.

Not long after the two resumed their search for the temple, the reluctant partners were descended upon by the angry Grimm - it having been an inhabitant of the tree Ruby angrily cut down earlier.

After a few minutes of fruitless battle, young Ruby had what she thought was a marvelous idea at the time. She and Weiss would cling to the Nevermore's feathers and ride it into the air, hoping that the view from the sky would aid them in finding the temple ruins.

If their current situation was any indication, then clearly this plan was a well thought out one.

"Well why don't we just jump?!" Ruby suggested.

"What are you?! Insane?!" Weiss looked up, and Ruby was gone. "Oh you insufferable little-"

On the ground below, Yang was trying to get through to a somewhat unfocused Blake.

"Didn't you hear that scream earlier? We should do something about-"

Blake pointed to the sky.

Yang stopped talking and looked up, her eyes widening when she saw her sister falling towards them.

"Heads u~p!" Before the hooded girl splatted to the ground, she was hit by a flying Jaune. His force proved to be greater than hers and the pair shot into the canopy of the closest tree.

Ruby sat on a high branch, her head spinning from the impact.

"What was that?" she groaned. Shaking the dizziness away Ruby heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Looking up, she saw Jaune hanging upside down in front of her.

"Hi, Ruby." He weakly waved.

Blake and Yang stared for a while at the tree, still unsure of what they just saw. Blake was the first to break the silence.

"Did your sister just-"

"Jaune?!"

Yang and Blake watched Natsu run up to them.

"Oh its the black-haired chick and Ruby's sister. You two haven't seen a guy with blonde hair fly by here have you?"

"My name is Blake." The dark-haired girl irritably corrected.

Just then an Ursa emerged from the forest. It flailed around, roaring in pain before a spark of purple lighting erupted from its back. When it fell over dead, a girl with short orange hair rolled from its back to the ground.

"Aw." She moped, looking at the dead creature. "It's broken."

"Nora!" A young man with long black hair stepped from behind the Ursa, one hand on his knee and the other on the dead monster while he bent over to catch his breath.

"Please…" he huffed. "Don't ever do that again."

With a whoosh Nora had ran to the temple, her eyes gazing in wonder at the golden rook piece. She yanked it from its pedestal and started to dance. "I'm queen of the castle. I'm queen of the castle." She sang.

"Nora!" her partner shouted.

The girl stopped singing and giggled. "Coming, Ren."

She skipped away, leaving Yang and Blake even more confused than they were before.

"Did that girl just ride on an Ursa?" Blake asked.

Natsu on the other hand was ecstatic. "Cool!"

The craziness kept coming when Pyrrha ran into the field, the Death Stalker still hot on her tail. She narrowly avoided the monster's massive claws from clamping down on her. When she saw her partner in the distance she called to him.

"Natsu!"

Jaune heard the redhead's voice from the tree. "Pyrrha?!"

Ruby – having regained her faculties – jumped from the tree.

"Wait! Ruby!"

The hooded girl rolled over to where her sister and the others were standing.

"Ruby?" her sister called.

"Yang!"

Nora forced herself between the two sisters, shouting her own name before the two could embrace.

The group watched Pyrrha barely outrun the Death Stalker.

"I thought you were going to take care of that thing?!" Natsu shouted to the redhead.

"As you can see-" Pyrrha strafed to the right, narrowly avoiding the monster's stinger. "That task is easier said than done!"

"Need help?!"

"I would appreciate it!"

"On the way!" Natsu ran to his partner.

"Thank you!"

"Did that girl just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?" Blake pointed.

"I can't take this anymore!" Yang shouted, her Ember Celica firing at the ground as her eyes turned red. "Will everybody just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

The group stood in silence for a little over two seconds – Nora bouncing up down while her partner breathlessly jogged over to join them.

Ruby patted her sisters arm. "Um…Yang?" she pointed to the sky and every looked upwards, seeing Weiss hanging onto the claw of a Nevermore.

"How could you leave me?!" the heiress shouted to Ruby.

"I told you to jump." Ruby reminded.

Natsu jumped back to avoid the Death Stalker's claw. His head craned upward to see the Nevermore. When he saw his sister hanging on to its claw he smiled.

"I wanna go next!"

"You idiot! This isn't a ride! Help me!"

The rest of the group watched Weiss hold on for dear life to the creature's claws.

"She's gonna fall." Blake said.

"She'll be fine." Ruby meekly reassured.

Just then Weiss' grip slipped.

"And she's falling." Ren pointed out.

"Natsu~!" Weiss screamed on her way down.

"Don't worry, Weiss! I'm coming!" Natsu darted off, leaving Pyrrha alone once again.

"Natsu, where are you going?!"

Natsu watched his sister plummet to ground and jumped into the air. Jaune watched Weiss fall as well.

Seeing this as his big opportunity to get on the girl's good side, Jaune leapt from the tree with his arms out to catch her. As he closed in on her, Natsu stepped onto his face.

The pinkette used the added spring to catch his sister in mid-air.

"Gotcha!"

"What took you so long?!" Weiss yelled, tears in the corners of her eyes as she held onto him.

"Sorry." He smiled.

Jaune fell to the ground face first, his legs twitching as they stuck up in the air.

Inexplicably Ruby and the others had scorecards for this occasion. Ruby held up a five, Nora and Yang held up tens, Ren held up a three, and Blake gave Jaune a one.

Natsu landed on his feet soon after. Weiss secured in his arms. They were scored as well.

Ruby, Nora, and Ren all gave Natsu tens. Blake gave Natsu an eight. And finally Yang gave the pinkette a six.

"Are you serious?!" Natsu shouted at the blonde. "A six?! That landing was at least an eight!"

"I agree, that score hardly seems fair." Weiss added.

Yang shrugged. "What can I say? Your dismount was a little shaky."

Natsu sighed. "Whatever." He heard a groan from below and looked down, finally took notice of Jaune. "What are you doing down there?"

"Just picking up the pieces of my shattered pride." Jaune muttered, his voice muffed by the dirt.

In the distance the Death Stalker finally caught up to Pyrrha, using its tail to knock her towards the rest of the group.

"Great, the gang's all here." Yang said. She and the others watched as the Nevermore swooped down, and the Death Stalker skittered over to them.

"Now we can all die together."

* * *

 **New chapter!**

 **A bit longer than the others. I really wasn't shooting for that, but it just ended up happening. I hope it didn't come out too cluttered. I tried to make things as evenly paced as possible.**

 **And for those going to ask, yes, Pyrrha saw exactly who you think she saw. That will expanded upon later, but for now I hope you liked the tease. I also tried to inject more comedy in the chapter since that is one of RWBY's bright spots as a series.**

 **Next time is the end of the initiation as well as the formation of teams. Some of you may be surprised where Natsu ends up.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me what know what you think and thanks for reading! :)**


	5. Four's A Crowd

"Anybody have any ideas how to get out of this mess?" Blake asked, her cool façade finally starting to give way to worry.

Natsu smirked. "I've got a few."

Suddenly Ruby charged ahead, her Crescent Rose ready to strike down the Death Stalker in front of her.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang called out to her sister.

Unable to hear her sister, Ruby used her scythe's dust bullet propulsion to give herself the advantage in speed, but the Death Stalker easily swatted her away with its claws.

"Don't worry." The young girl shakily reassured the others. "Totally fine."

She quickly stood up to face the Death Stalker, shooting at its face before deciding to run away. The monster swiftly gave chase, prompting Yang to finally take action.

The desperate blonde called her sister's name and ran to her, hand outstretched for Ruby to grab once she was close enough.

Natsu took off as well. Weiss' wrist firmly gripped in his hand.

"Why do I have to go too?!" The heiress whined.

"Just come on!"

Ruby ran as fast as she could to Yang, but little did she know that the Nevermore was also on her tail.

The bird of prey hovered in the skies, furiously flapped its wings. Out came a salvo of black feathers, raining down on Ruby like they were giant arrows.

The hooded girl managed to evade most of them, but it was only a matter of time before one of the feathers stuck into her cloak. The sudden stop snapped Ruby back onto her butt.

Yang ran faster, but she too found herself stopped by the feathers. Falling to her knees she watched helplessly as the Death Stalker crept closer on her little sister.

"Ruby! Get out of there!"

"I'm trying!" Ruby urgently retorted as she pulled and stretched her cloak against the feather in a desperate attempt to free herself.

"Ready?" Natsu asked Weiss.

"Yes. Just don't throw me too hard. We don't want a repeat of last time."

"How long are you going to be mad at that?"

Weiss grabbed Natsu's hand as they ran and he threw her forward with enough force to send her speeding past Yang.

Ruby closed her eyes to keep from seeing the Death Stalker's killing blow. As she awaited the end, she heard a familiar voice – as well as ice cracking. Slowly she opened her eyes.

"You are so childish."

Ruby was surprised to see the Death Stalker's stinger - mere inches away from her face - encased in ice. When she looked to her left she saw her very irritated partner.

"Weiss?"

"You're also dim-witted, hyperactive, and don't get me started on your fighting style." The heiress sternly stated. "But…I suppose I can also be a bit…difficult as well. Even so, if we're going to do this, then we have to do it together. So if you promise to stop showing off, then I'll be…nicer."

"I'm not trying to show off." Ruby defended. "I just want to show you that I can handle this."

"You're fine."

Weiss walked back to the group.

When she was gone, Ruby looked around the ice the snow-haired heiress created and gasped in amazement. Though still alive, the Death Stalker was rendered nearly immobile by Weiss' attack.

"Need a hand?" Natsu asked, reaching his arm down to Yang.

She grinned and gratefully accepted, allowing the pinkette to pull her up to her feet. "Thank you…Natsu."

"You finally know my name."

"Don't get used to it, bubblegum head." She winked at him before running to Ruby.

Weiss sighed once she returned to her brother's side. "That girl is just impossible."

"She's not that different than you were a few years ago." Natsu grinned.

"I was nothing like her!"

"Either way you did a good job, little sis. You made a friend." Natsu ruffled Weiss' hair, and she forcefully swatted him away.

"She is not my friend, and stop messing up my hair." She looked away, her cheeks red. "It's embarrassing."

Natsu smiled and settled for simply placing his hand on her head. Weiss seemed to accept this, but she still pouted.

Yang hugged Ruby as tightly as she could.

"I'm so glad you're ok!"

The sisters heard a sickening wail and looked up to the Nevermore. It was preparing to attack again.

"Guys, that thing is circling back." Jaune pointed. "What are we going to do?"

"No sense in just loitering about." Weiss said. She then pointed to the temple ruins. "Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and get back to the cliff." Ruby added. "There's no use in us fighting these things."

"Run and live. That's a strategy I can get behind." Jaune eagerly accepted.

"Wha~t?!" Natsu whined. "Can't we fight them for a little bit? This test has been boring! I only killed two Ursa!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Nora added. "Can we hit them just once, Ren? Pretty ple~ase?!"

"No." Weiss and Ren stiffly denied.

Natsu and Nora's shoulders slumped as disappointment set in.

Ruby and Jaune grabbed their relics from the temple ruins. Ruby grabbed a golden knight, while Jaune picked the second golden rook piece.

Ren looked to the Death Stalker and saw that it was close to freeing its tail from Weiss' ice.

"It's time we left." He said to the others.

"Right." Ruby nodded. "Let's go."

Everyone began to run away. Save for Natsu.

He cracked his knuckles and approached the still stuck Death Stalker.

"Just one good punch oughta finish it off."

"Stop fooling around!"

Weiss grabbed her brother by the arm and yanked him away.

The students ran through the field, coming upon an expansive set of ruins overlooking a large chasm. From the looks of them it seemed that it used to be some sort of pathway from a structure in the cliff face to the temple in the forest.

Once they took notice of the Nevermore flying overhead, the students took cover behind a few of the pillars still standing in the ruins. They all readied their weapons.

"Well that's great." Yang sarcastically said.

From the forest emerged the now freed Death Stalker.

"Should have let me punch it." Natsu said, his eyes not so subtly pointed to his sister.

"Now is not the time!" She shouted back.

"Run!" Jaune yelled.

Everyone made a break for the cliff.

"Nora, distract it!" Ren ordered.

"You help her, Natsu." Weiss said.

Natsu and Nora met in the middle of the ruins and started to attack the fast approaching Nevermore.

Nora fired rounds from her grenade launcher at the flying beast while Natsu discharged bullets of dust from his gauntlets at the Death Stalker. Their blasts spread across the air, discouraging the Grimm from flying any closer to the others.

"You're a good shot!" Nora complimented.

"Thanks! You're not bad either." Natsu returned with a grin.

The pinkette continued raining down dust-fire on the skittering Death Stalker. When it was roughly a few feet away from him Blake and Ren reappeared.

They intercepted the creature by slashing at it with their blades, allowing Natsu to hand Nora over to Weiss so the two could escape using her Glyphs.

Natsu, Blake, and Ren continued attacking the Death Stalker until they reached the stone bridge connecting the two sides of the huge structure around them. Pyrrha aided the trio in their escape, providing cover fire with her own rifle until they were all safely on the bridge.

The students raced across the overpass, the Nevermore preparing to swoop in for another aerial assault.

It barreled into the bridge head first, breaking it in half, and separating the group: Natsu, Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Nora, and Weiss were on one side, while Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha were on the other…with the Death Stalker.

Jaune watched as the three battled against the Death Stalker. With such little space to move in, it would only be a matter of time before they either succumbed to the might of the powerful Grimm, or be swallowed into the bottomless chasm below.

"We gotta help them!"

Nora readied her grenade launcher. "Let's do this."

"One problem." Jaune looked down into the mist-shrouded canyon. "How do we get over there? I can't make that jump."

Nora grinned. She threw back her arm – accidentally knocking Jaune over – and her grenade launcher changed into a hammer. She twirled around her new weapon and slammed it onto the edge of the broken bridge.

The impact destroyed the rest of the bridge platform and the opposite tilted upward, catapulting Jaune across the chasm.

Nora then stood on the bottom of the hammer-head and pulled the trigger on the handle, grenade shells propelling her after Jaune. When Nora reached the other side she slammed her hammer on the Death Stalker's head.

"That was awesome!" Natsu exclaimed in astonishment.

"Admire the crazy girl later." Weiss said.

"Yeah. We still have that flying buzzard to deal with." Yang pointed to Nevermore.

"We have to get to higher ground!" Ruby ordered, directing the group to the top of a stone structure in the middle of the bridge paths.

The Death Stalker prepared another strike, but Nora was ready. She shot another grenade round from her hammer, the force lifting herself off of the beast before its tail could strike. Unfortunately the propulsion from Nora's evasion made her to slide back, knocking Blake into the chasm.

"Blake!" Natsu reached his hand out to her.

Seeing an opportunity to save herself, the black-haired girl threw her weapon at the pinkette, the ribbon at the end wrapping around his wrist.

"What the…?"

"Throw me!"

Natsu complied and gripped the ribbon tightly.

"I don't what you're thinking, but here goes!"

He slung his arm upward and let go, launching Blake towards the Nevermore.

The mysterious girl attacked the beast's face with a few quick strikes of her blade before landing on its back. She ran down the length of its back, her blade only grazing off of the Nevermore's hardened skin. When she saw Yang and the others at the top of the structure, she jumped; Natsu grabbing her hand as she fell.

"Thanks." She said.

Natsu nodded and pulled her up. "Don't mention it."

The Nevermore circled around again.

"It's tougher than it looks." Blake informed the group.

Yang activated her Ember Celica. "Then we'll give it all we got!"

The quintet fired their weapons, but the Grimm proved much more superior in the air. It avoided all of the attacks aimed at it, breaking through the structure they were standing on with its body.

Rapidly falling into the chasm, the group used various means to reach higher ground.

Ruby and Yang propelled themselves upward using their weapons, Blake somehow was able to run up the length of the large pillars, and the Schnee siblings utilized Weiss' glyphs.

Yang jumped to the highest point she could find and shot her Ember Celica at the Nevermore to distract it.

"What's the plan now?" Natsu asked.

"Yes, none of this working." His sister added.

"I think I got something." Ruby said. "You two cover me!" with that she ran off.

On the other side of the broken bridge, Jaune's group was still having trouble ridding themselves of the Death Stalker. The creature dug its tail in to what remained of the bridge, causing it to lose foundation.

"We gotta move." Jaune said.

On his order his team rushed the beast.

It swung one its claws, but Pyrrha slid under it - using her shield to prevent the claw from hitting her. She then cut into the Death Stalker's face with her spear.

The angered Grimm reached forward to attack again, but this time Jaune blocked with his shield, allowing Pyrrha to leap over and stab it once more.

The Death Stalker's defenses lowered, Ren sprinted ahead with his StormFlower pistols. He let loose bullet after bullet into the monster's face. Avoiding a swipe from its claws, the quick young man latched onto the monster's tail, shooting into the base that held the stinger in place.

Nora attacked with her grenade launcher, but the Death Stalker blocked with the projectile with its claws. When it showed its face again Pyrrha hurled her spear into its eye.

The monster flailed about in agony, somehow managing to sling Ren off itself and into a nearby stone column.

"Ren!" Nora called out.

Jaune noticed the monster's stinger limply hanging at the end of its tail. No doubt due to Ren's attacks from earlier.

"Pyrrha!"

"Done!"

The warrior threw her shield at the Death Stalker, the sharpened edge cleanly slicing through the stinger, causing the point to fall and pierce the creature's head.

"Nora! Now!" Jaune called.

"Ok!"

The orange-headed pixie readied her hammer and hopped onto Pyrrha's shield. She fired a grenade, propelling herself into the air – Pyrrha jumping at the moment the shell hit her shield to add more height.

Nora giggled as she fell back down to Earth and gripped her hammer. The force from her hammer strike buried the stinger deeper into the Death Stalker's head. The explosion also destroyed what was left of the bridge, sending the Death Stalker down into the chasm.

Jaune, Nora, and Pyrrha jumped, landed back on land relatively unscathed – even though Jaune face-planted on the dismount. Ren eventually rejoined them – though quickly fell over due to exhaustion.

"I think we did it, guys!" Jaune shouted with relief.

"Yay!" Nora exclaimed.

"Good job, everyone." Pyrrha congratulated.

"Yes…" Ren panted. "Good…job…"

The quartet's celebration was abruptly halted when the Death Stalker climbed up from the side of the cliff.

"How is that possible?!" Jaune panicked.

"It must have used its claws to pull itself back up." Pyrrha grimaced.

The Death Stalker lunged forth.

"Get ready!"

In the middle of the ruins Yang continued to fire at the Nevermore as it circled around her and her friends. After a long and frustrating string of near missed one of her blasts finally connected. Hitting the creature's eye. This forced the Nevermore to focus all its attention on Yang. This is exactly what she wanted.

The Nevermore swooped down and opened its mouth. Yang jumped in, holding open the creature's beak as she continuously shot blasts from her Ember Celica.

"I! Hope! You're! Hungry!" Yang yelled in between shots. She looked behind her and saw the cliff fast approaching. She leapt back to the ruins, the Nevermore hitting the cliff in front of it head first.

"Go!"

The Nevermore reset itself on top of the ruins and prepared to take off again when Weiss suddenly appeared. The heiress readied her rapier, switching the cartridges and freezing the monster's tail feathers to the platform. Effectively stopping it from taking off.

Blake and Yang stood atop opposite pillars, the former throwing her weapon to her partner. They then created a makeshift slingshot by stretching the ribbon between the pillars. When it was done Ruby nodded at them and jumped, standing herself on the blade of Crescent Rose.

Weiss summoned a Glyph. When it turned from white to black, it created a magnetizing effect that pulled Ruby towards it and held her in place like a giant slingshot.

"Only you would come up with this plan." She scoffed.

"Can you make the shot?" Ruby asked.

Weiss smirked. "Can I?"

"…Can you?"

"Of course I can!"

Weiss launched Ruby toward the Nevermore. The hooded girl's scythe aimed at the beast's neck.

Ruby's goal was to behead the Grimm, but at the last second the Nevermore freed itself from Weiss' ice - sacrificing a few tail feathers in the process.

"Impossible!" Weiss shouted in shock.

Ruby shot a few bullets from Crescent Rose, slowing her momentum enough to land safely against the cliff. "Oh no." she gasped as she slid to the ground.

"Well that didn't work." Yang said flippantly.

"What do we do now?" Blake asked the group.

"I've got an idea." Natsu spoke up.

Yang snickered. "This should be good."

"Weiss, I need the fire dust you use in Myrtenaster. You still have some right?" He asked.

"What's wrong with your supply?"

"I'm all out."

Weiss sighed and took out the cartridge. "Ok, but I have no idea what plan to do with it that you haven't before."

"I'm going to eat it." Natsu said plainly.

"You what?!"

"You're going to **eat** dust?" Blake questioned.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah."

Yang nearly fell over as she laughed. "I told you this would be good!"

"I don't know if that is a good idea." Ruby advised.

"It most certainly isn't." Weiss instantly recalled her hand from her brother. "Were you hit by that thing one too many times?! What makes you think you can eat dust?!"

"Remember how eating fire gives me a bit of energy?" Natsu explained. "I was thinking eating dust would give me huge power boost. Then I can take down both that thing and the Death Stalker that Pyrrha's group is fighting."

"And what if you can't eat it?" Weiss countered. "What if it incinerates you from the inside out?"

"I gotta agree with Weiss, Natsu." Ruby said "We don't know what will happen. It's not safe. We can find another way to beat that thing."

"There's no time for that." Natsu argued. "If we don't do this now we're Grimm food."

"Absolutely not." Weiss refused. "I will not allow you to permanently damage your body, or worse, kill yourself. We'll just try Ruby's plan again."

Natsu exhaled deeply and sunk his shoulders. "Yeah I guess you're right. My plan is stupid."

Weiss grinned. "Glad you see reason. Now, everyone, get back into position and-"She prepared to place the cartridge back into her weapon when Natsu suddenly snatched it from her hands and ran away.

"Natsu, what are you doing?! Come back here!"

"Sorry! I promise I'll let you yell at me later!"

"Oh I'll do much more than yell!"

"Yang! Blake!" Natsu shouted to the pair. "Ready the ribbon!"

"What do we do?" Blake asked her partner.

Yang shrugged. "I say we do it. What's the worst that could happen?"

"He could die."

"Oh yeah...well I still say we do it. We don't have any other options."

"Guess not."

Yang and Blake tugged the sides of the ribbon until it was taut and Natsu jumped on it. When it snapped back he was sent soaring through the air.

The Nevermore closing in, Natsu reached out his hand. Somehow Managing to grab the monster's underside feathers.

"Room for one more?!"

He climbed - his body fighting against the force exerted on it by the Nevermore's speed - until he reached the creature's back. Once there he started to punch the beast as hard as he could over and over.

The Nevermore spun around in an attempt to stop Natsu's onslaught.

Ruby and the others watched from below on pins and needles as Natsu now hung upside down from the Nevermore. One slip and he would become a spot on the bottom of the canyon…however far down that was.

"Please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die." Ruby prayed with her hands clasped.

"If he doesn't, I'll kill him." Weiss said through gritted teeth as she clenched Myrtenaster between her whitened knuckles. She put up a nice front, but inside she was beside herself with fear.

"Can't get rid of me that easily!"

Natsu's gauntlets formed into talons and he dug them into the monster's back, securing himself so he wouldn't fall.

The Nevermore turned right side up and Natsu resumed his climb. When he finally reached the monster's head he punched the left side, forcing it to turn to the right.

"What is he trying to do?" Yang implored.

"I think he's attempting to steer it towards the Death Stalker." Blake said.

When the Nevermore was close to hovering over the opposite cliff side, Natsu placed the red dust crystal in his mouth. _I hope this works!_

He punched down on the top of the Nevermore's head as hard as he could, forcing it to nose dive.

He then let go, free-falling just above the Nevermore.

"Weiss! Glyph!"

His sister reluctantly complied and summoned the same Glyphs under Natsu's feet that she used for Ruby.

Natsu bit into the dust crystal before being hurled towards the Nevermore. He grabbed the dorsal fin protruding from the back of its mask and held on tightly as they rocketed towards the Death Stalker.

"Heads up!" he shouted.

Jaune's team looked up.

"What is he doing?" Ren pointed.

"I don't know, but I think he just told us to move!" Jaune shouted. "Scatter!"

His group quickly escaped from the Death Stalker while Natsu continued to fall.

 _Come on! Work! Work! Work!_

Natsu's pleas were answered when his body started to spark. Feeling a surge of power similar to when Pyrrha touched him, Natsu caught fire; engulfing both himself and the Nevermore in a glorious blaze of red and orange flames.

"He's on fire?!" Yang and Ruby exclaimed.

"How is that possible?" Blake gasped.

Weiss was speechless.

"Is that his Aura?" Ren questioned. "I've never seen it manifest like that in someone."

"Pretty!" Nora shouted with glee.

"Whoa." Jaune gasped. "It's way bigger than last time."

"What is he?" Pyrrha heard herself ask.

"Woo~!"

Natsu howled with joy as he fell upon the Death Stalker like a comet with the Nevermore in hand. The explosion when the three objects collided rocked the entire area – the wind knocking over a few trees and columns in the process.

"Take cover!" Jaune shouted to his team.

When the dust settled, the only thing left behind was a massive, smoking crater.

"He really did it…" Blake uttered.

"Natsu!"

Weiss didn't waste any time. Using her Glyphs, she shot herself and her group across the canyon and into the ruins. She sprinted ahead when they hit the ground, meeting Jaune's group at the crash site. When they all looked down into the crater, they saw nothing but a big pile of dirt. Natsu, the Death Stalker, and the Nevermore were nowhere to be seen.

"Is he…?" Yang started to say.

"He saved us all…" Blake said solemnly.

"He can't really be gone, can he?" Ruby desperately asked. "I never thanked him for helping me the night we met."

"This was supposed to be just an initiation." Jaune shuddered. "No one was supposed to…"

"This is too sad." Nora frowned.

Ren bowed in respect. "I will not forget his sacrifice."

"Nor will I." Pyrrha affirmed, sticking her spear into the ground.

Everyone looked to Weiss. She hadn't said anything since arriving at the crater. It was obvious that she was taking this the hardest. She refused to make eye contact with anyone, her eyes stuck squarely on the dirt pile below.

Ruby reached for her partner. "Weiss…I'm-"

"Natsu, wake up this instant! This is no time to be sleeping!"

The heiress' shout startled everyone. That shock soon turned to fear when a hand suddenly rose from the dirt.

"Zombie!" Jaune and Ruby shrieked.

"That is so cool!" Nora sang.

"Quick! Someone kill it again!" Yang shouted in fear.

The hand rose further and Natsu slowly pulled himself up from the dirt. He looked up to his friends; all of them afraid for their lives except for Pyrrha, Ren, Blake, Weiss, and Nora.

Weiss jumped into the crater, much to the shock of Yang and Ruby.

"Weiss, don't do it! He'll turn you into a flesh-rotting, brain eater!" Ruby yelled. She reached out to her partner, but Yang stopped her.

"It's too late for her, Ruby!"

"But, Yang…!"

"Seriously, you two?" Blake sighed.

Natsu watched his sister slide down the side of the hole and his body stiffened. He knew that stern look on her face all too well. She was well beyond angry at this point. She was livid.

"H-hey, sis." Natsu meekly waved. "I know you're pretty pissed right now about me stealing your dust and all, but before you hit me I-"

Weiss suddenly threw her arms around her brother's neck, much to his surprise.

"Don't ever do something stupid like that again." She said, her voice almost cracking. "Do you hear me?"

Natsu gulped so loud that everyone could hear it. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"Good." She tightened her grip. "Thank you for saving us."

"Y-yeah..." Natsu was surprised by Weiss' reaction. He half expected her to freeze him where he stood and leave him there until she decided he had learned his lesson. Wouldn't have been the first time something like that happened.

"Aw, that's so sweet." Yang cooed. She opened her arms and turned to her sister.

"Don't even think about it." Ruby refused.

"We should return to the cliff." Pyrrha said. "I'm sure that Professor Ozpin is waiting for us."

"Good idea." Blake agreed.

Natsu and Ruby helped Weiss out of the crater. He jumped out soon after, surprising everyone with how much energy he still had.

"I'm surprised that your plan actually worked." Blake said to him.

"Yeah, I was totally expecting you to die." Yang joked with a smile.

"Thanks." Natsu sarcastically replied.

"I'm so glad you didn't die." Ruby said as she ran up and hugged him. She let go and looked into his eyes. "Please don't do that again."

"Don't worry I won't." Natsu smiled.

Natsu continued to wipe the dirt of himself as he walked a few paces behind Ruby and Weiss in the forest. He watched Pyrrha slow her stride to match his and the two were soon walking side by side.

"Hey, what's up?" he greeted.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm good. Just a little sore from the crash."

"Sore is much better than dead." Pyrrha smiled.

"I'll say." Natsu laughed.

"I've never seen anyone eat Dust before. Have you done it in the past?"

"Nope. That was my first time. Don't think I'll be doing it again anytime soon though. Stuff tastes like burnt meat."

Pyrrha giggled.

"What? What did I say?"

"I didn't know that dust had a taste." She tittered. "But I am glad you are alright...partner."

"Yeah me too." he smiled wide.

Pyrrha blushed.

Suddenly Nora appeared between the pair. "I have a question!" she sang to Natsu, her hand raised.

"Um…Ok? Shoot."

"Are you really a zombie? If you are, it's ok. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone…except Ren, and maybe Jaune...and maybe Professor Ozpin. But only because he's the headmaster and should know if a student is a zombie to prevent outbreaks. That is unless you don't want him too, then I won't tell. I'm good at keeping secrets."

Natsu tilted his head on confusion.

* * *

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team CRDL (Cardinal). Led by, Cardin Winchester."

The four young men accepted the Professor's designation with a nod and proceeded off stage amidst the clapping of the student body and other school staff.

This was the results of the initiation. Whichever pairs grabbed the same chess pieces from the temple were to be put into four-person teams. It was a somewhat unique way of pairing off students, but it proved effective over the years. Some of the most legendary pairs in he history of Remnant were formed in a similar fashion.

Natsu and his friends stood to the side of the stage in the amphitheater, each of them waiting for their names to be called.

"I wonder what teams we're going to be put in." Ruby said. She was quaking in anticipation. She was desperately hoping she wouldn't be put in a group full of strangers.

"I hope I get put on a team with strong people in it." Natsu grinned.

Weiss sighed. "You're so one-track minded."

"No I'm not. I hate trains."

"That's not…oh never mind." Weiss gave up. "Just pay attention so you don't miss your name."

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie." Professor Ozpin called.

"Us?" Jaune questioned.

The four walked to the stage.

"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces." Ozpin said. "From this point on you will be known as Team JNPR (Juniper)."

Nora happily threw her arms around a surprised Ren's neck. "I told you we'd be on the same team!" she said to him.

Pyrrha was grateful that she was on a team with good, reliable people – she saw their skills and personalities firsthand during the test – but she couldn't help but be disappointed that she wasn't on a team with Natsu.

When she looked at him over her shoulder, she saw him giving her a thumbs up and wide smile in congratulations. She found it hard to not smile back.

"Your team will be led by, Jaune Arc." Ozpin announced.

The blonde was startled by the reveal.

"M-me? Leading a-"

"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin said.

Jaune was still stunned by the news until Pyrrha playfully punched him in the arm, knocking him onto his butt on the stage. When she realized what she had done she helped him up.

"Sorry." She apologized. "But this is excellent. I told you that you would make a great leader."

"Yeah..." Juane replied uneasily.

The newly formed Team JNPR walked off stage and Ozpin called the next group.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long."

The four girls walked onstage.

"You four recovered the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will be known as Team RWBY (Ruby). Led by…Ruby Rose."

Just like Jaune before her, Ruby was stunned by the news – as was Weiss. Before she could fully process the information, her sister attacked her with a hug.

"I'm so proud of you!"

"T-thanks…!" Ruby said, struggling to breathe. The girls moved offstage and Professor Ozpin called the only student left.

"And finally…Natsu Schnee."

Natsu strutted onstage as if he owned it, his grin just as cocky as when they returned to the school. He proudly stood before Professor Ozpin, his sharp canines glistening in the spotlight.

"So what's going on? Am I too awesome to be on a team with anyone else?" he boasted.

"Quite the contrary." Professor Ozpin countered. "You didn't retrieve any of the chess pieces during the Initiation test. So in essence...you failed the exam."

Natsu's spirits crashed to the ground as the laughter of the spectators echoed in the amphitheater.

Weiss shook her head in frustration. "Honestly..."

"Normally, failing the Initiation would result in the students immediate expulsion from Beacon Academy."

Natsu swallowed the lump in his throat. "E…expelled?"

Ozpin nodded. "Yes."

Weiss stepped forward in defense of her brother.

"Professor Ozpin, please reconsider. Things were so hectic during the course that Natsu had no time to grab a relic." She said.

"If that is the case then how were you all able to grab a relic?" The Professor asked.

Weiss was caught offguard. "I...well...we were-"

"Natsu saved all of us back in the forest!" Ruby interjected.

"Yeah. Without him none of us would be here right now." Jaune surprisingly added. His team as well as Ruby's nodded in response to his words.

"I am well aware of that." Professor Ozpin said. "If you recall, I said that failing the Initiation course 'normally' resulted in expulsions, but as you can all plainly see…" He looked to the monitors overhead. They changed from a picture of Natsu's face to showing footage of the pinkette defeating both the Nevermore and the Death Stalker, the sight put the crowd in a state of shocked awe. "This year's Initiation was anything but ordinary. As such, Natsu will **not** be expelled from the academy." he finished.

Teams RWBY and JNPR breathed a sigh of relief – as did Natsu.

Ozpin addressed the audience now.

"As you will all no doubt learn during your time here at Beacon, being a Hunter is about much more than simply going to classes and defeating Grimm. It is about being creative, standing for what is right, and above all protecting your fellow man. Natsu displayed all three of the qualities and more today."

"…So what team am I on?" the Pinkette asked.

"Ah yes, that is quite the conundrum isn't it? Despite your impressive skills we can't put you on a team by yourself. It is much too dangerous for missions."

"Ok...then put me on Ruby or Jaune's team."

"Yeah!" Ruby piped up. "Natsu would be an awesome addition to Team RWBY! Right, Weiss?"

"I don't see why you need my opinion."

"Well he is **your** brother." Blake reasoned.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"We don't have a problem with him joining us." Jaune said.

"Yes. We would be delighted to have him." Pyrrha smiled.

"He's great at destroying stuff!" Nora exclaimed.

"No, that won't work either I'm afraid." Ozpin denied. "Teams are strictly regulated to contain only four members. We'll just have to add you to a team that is missing a member."

Natsu watched as Professor Ozpin gestured towards the right of the stage. "You may come up now."

Everyone watched as three students – two females and one male – walked onstage. Natsu instantly recognized the girl standing to the left with light green hair, as well as the gray-haired boy standing to right with a condescending smirk. They were the students that he and Weiss had ran into on the first day of school. The one person Natsu didn't know however, was the girl standing in the middle of them.

She had long hair similar in color to ash. Her bright amber eyes sparkling in the spotlight as if they were on fire. There was an air about her that made Natsu feel more than a little uneasy. Something about her felt just the tiniest bit familiar to him, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"These three are Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black, and Cinder Fall." Ozpin introduced.

"We meet again." Emerald smiled.

Mercury snorted in amusement.

Cinder bowed her head. "A pleasure to meet you."

"They will be your teammates." Ozpin said to Natsu. "From this day forward, you four will be known as Team CMSN (Crimson). You will be led by Natsu."

"Alright." the pinkette accepted. He looked to his new teammates with slight apprehension.

"What's wrong?" Mercury taunted with a grin. "Are you as disappointed as we are, too?"

Natsu stepped to the young man. "You gotta problem with me or something?"

"Maybe."

Emerald sighed. "Again with this?"

Cinder lightly chuckled.

Weiss and Ruby grabbed Natsu's arms and pulled him back.

"Natsu, don't fight with your teammates." Weiss chided.

"Yeah." Ruby agreed. "You guys are supposed to be getting along.

"But he started it!" Natsu argued.

"And as team leader it's your job to finish it." Weiss countered.

"I will as soon you two let me go." Natsu said through gritted teeth.

"I meant **without** violence."

"You back off too, Mercury." Emerald said, pushing him away. "What's the matter with you?"

"I was just welcoming our new leader." He smiled.

Ozpin sighed as he watched the group of students bicker with one another.

"So far this school year is promising to be an interesting one."

* * *

The rays of the broken moon shined their distorted light inside of an abandoned warehouse located on the docks of the city of Vale.

Illuminated by the light was notorious criminal Roman Torchwick. Standing before a desk against the wall that had a map hanging on it – the map itself detailed in marker with various locations of dust deposits and police in the country.

He rolled his eyes as a voice rattled off to him from the other end of his cell phone. The mysterious person finished what they were saying and Torchwick promptly hung up, slamming the phone onto the desk in frustration. Sighing deeply to ease his frayed nerves, he placed a cigar in his mouth and lit it.

He took a drag as a man wearing a hood and silver mask over his face wheeled in a metal crate. He stopped next to Torchwick.

The orange haired fugitive nodded at the courier and grabbed five credit cards of assorted colors from his jacket pocket. He briefly flashed them to the courier to prove they were real before placing them on top of the crate. The masked man slowly grabbed them and put them in his own pocket.

"Open it." Torchwick said.

The carrier nodded and grabbed a crowbar from the side of the dolly used to wheel the cargo in. After a quick jimmy the lid of the crate flipped open, revealing a large number of Dust Crystals in every color and element.

Torchwick grabbed a blue crystal and examined it for any imperfections. When he saw none he looked ahead into the darkness, taking another long drag of his cigar.

"We're going to need more men." He said as smoke filtered of his mouth.

* * *

 **In honor of RWBY Volume 3 being released in the states this Tuesday, I decided to post the next chapter a bit ahead of schedule (I don't really HAVE a schedule, but its fun to dream). So the initiation is over and the Teams have been formed for better or worse. I breifly thought of putting Natsu on one of the main teams, but I didn't feel comfortable messing with those dynamics so I just made an all new team for him. This is part of the reason Cinder's Group is in the story so much earlier than canon. That should be interesting.**

 **As for the fight against the Grimm, I'm not entirely pleased with how it went (I think I could have explained things a bit better. I'm nothing if not a perfectionist) but you guys will tell me whether you liked or hated it.**

 **That's it for now. As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think, and thanks for reading! :)**


	6. A Quick Explanation

Natsu, Pyrrha, and Jaune all stood before Professor Ozpin's desk. The three students had been called into the Headmaster's office soon after the announcement of teams were made.

It was a rather spacious office all things considered. With a giant window that had an impressive – if slightly intimidating - view of the school grounds. There was also some sort of mechanism spinning about not far from the desk. In short it was almost exactly what one expected a headmaster of Beacon Academy's office would look like.

"I understand there is some…confusion about the team assignments." Ozpin said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Glynda stood at his side but said nothing. It was almost as if she were solely there to observe the entire conversation for unknown reasons.

"Yeah." Natsu spoke up. "Why am I not on a team with Pyrrha and Jaune?" he pointed to the two students standing next to him.

Ozpin sipped from his cup before answering. "I believe I went over this during the ceremony, Mr. Schnee. Teams are to strictly contain four members. Adding you to Team JNPR or adding them to Team CMSN would actively disobey that rule."

"But why do teams only have four people?" Natsu implored.

"That's just the way it's always been."

"That's stupid."

At this Pyrrha stepped forward.

"He meant no disrespect, Professor Ozpin." she said. "We're just confused as to why I am on Jaune's team, when Natsu and I were the ones who were partnered together during the Initiation trial."

"And what of you, Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked Jaune. "Are you wondering this as well?"

"M-me?" Jaune pointed at himself, surprised that he was asked to speak. "Y-yeah. I mean yes. Yes, sir." He nodded.

"Very well then." Ozpin pressed a button on his desk and a holographic screen appeared over his head.

On the screen were mini versions of Natsu, Pyrrha, and Jaune. Over their heads were the letters A, B, and C respectively.

"As I explained on the cliff, the first person you saw would be your partner during your time at Beacon. Mr. Schnee and Ms. Nikos, being the first one the other saw in the forest, were officially recognized as partners."

As Ozpin spoke, the mini Natsu and Pyrrha on the screen started to flash red and cheer while Jaune's sprite sulked.

"However, there were a few things we did not mention in regards to the Initiation."

The screen above switched to portraits of all the freshman attending Beacon. Slowly everyone else's pictures faded until only Natsu and Ruby's remained.

"Due to the last minute inclusion of Ms. Rose and Mr. Schnee onto the school's roster, we now have an uneven number of freshman students here at Beacon. As such we had to implement a rule that had not been seen at this institution for many years. The Trios rule."

"Trios?" the students repeated in confusion.

"Yes." Ozpin nodded

The screen showed a little animation of mini-Jaune being taken away by Grimm, tears coming out of his eyes while Natsu and Pyrrha's chibis fought to save him.

"Is that really necessary?" Jaune asked disheartened as he watched his mini-self get dragged away.

Pyrrha giggled. "I think it's kind of cute."

"Glad **you** think so."

Natsu and Pyrrha's chibis quickly overcame the small Grimm and saved Jaune. When the three celebrated victory, their sprites turned blue.

"As you can see, after Mr. Schnee and Ms. Nikos saved Mr. Arc, the three of you effectively became a trio for the rest of the Initiation."

"But I still don't get it, if we're all supposed to be partners then why am I stuck on a completely different team?!" Natsu blurted out.

"That is my next point. While Mr. Schnee and Ms. Nikos were partners when the Initiation started, things changed when Mr. Arc was added into the group."

"How so?" Pyrrha asked.

"Mr. Arc." Ozpin called. "When you were rescued from the Grimm, who was the first person you saw? Mr. Schnee or Ms. Nikos?"

Jaune thought of this question for a moment. "I saw Pyrrha first, but Natsu was right behind her."

"That may be, but you said you saw Ms. Nikos first. That is where the complication starts. When you laid eyes on Ms. Nikos, despite her already having a partner, you became her partner as well."

"Huh?"

"I still don't understand." Pyrrha said.

"Wait, if Jaune became our partner from seeing Pyrrha first, then why didn't everybody become one big group when we all met at the temple?" Natsu asked. His brain was starting hurt from all of these long-winded explanations.

"Mr. Arc was the only person without a partner when you found him." Ozpin answered. "This is why he was not partnered with Ms. Rose and your sister. Even though the latter was the first person in the forest that he saw."

The screen changed again. This time showing all of the students that took part in the Initiation. Randomly colored lines connected all those who were partnered during the exam. When it was done Jaune was the only one without a partner.

"The Trios rule only comes into effect when there are an odd number of students, and everyone else has been partnered off. When your sister encountered Mr. Arc in the forest, there were plenty of others who had not yet found partners. However, between the time of his capture and subsequent rescue by you and Ms. Nikos, everyone else had found their partners. This left Mr. Arc the odd man out so to speak."

"I think I understand now." Pyrrha nodded.

"Yeah me too…I guess." Jaune added with a scratch of his head.

Natsu's head started to hurt even more.

"Now..." Ozpin resumed.

The screen showed an image of the three chibis next to a mini version of the relic temple.

"A trio is only united until the objective is reached. There is where the group begins to splinter. Here is where the relics come into play."

Jaune's chibi grabbed the white rook piece. His chibi and Pyrrha's cheered while Natsu's sulked.

"Only two of you can be put on a team at a time. As such, when Mr. Arc grabbed the white rook piece, Ms. Nikos was automatically added to whatever team he would be a part of. Conversely-"

The image on the screen changed. This time showing Natsu holding the piece overhead and Jaune sulking.

"If Mr. Schnee retrieved the relic instead of Mr. Arc, then Ms. Nikos would be on his team." Ozpin explained.

"But what if Pyrrha grabbed it?" Jaune asked.

"In that case, Ms. Nikos and Mr. Schnee would be on the same team since he was the first person she laid eyes on in the forest. Person B's affiliation solely depends on the actions of Persons A and C. As such, if both you and Mr. Schnee retrieved a piece, then Ms. Nikos would have to choose who she would be partnered with."

"What if I refused to make that choice?" Pyrrha asked.

"Then the two would battle, and the winner would have you on their team."

Pyrrha felt uncomfortable with this rule. "Forgive me, sir, but I'm not a prize that needs to be won."

"I agree." Ozpin nodded. "You can see why this isn't the most popular of rules. Do you all understand things a bit more clearly now?"

The three students nodded slowly. There were still a few things they didn't understand, but they were content with the explanation for the most part.

"Good. Now it's getting late. You all should hurry to bed, the first day of classes starts bright and early tomorrow."

Natsu, Pyrrha, and Jaune walked to Professor Ozpin's door, once they were gone Glynda spoke for the first time since calling the trio to the office.

"Professor Ozpin, the trios rule was done away with by you yourself years ago."

Ozpin sipped his coffee. "I am aware of that, Ms. Goodwitch."

"Then why did you lie to the students? Wouldn't have made more sense to expel the Arc boy and put Natsu in his place on the team?"

Ozpin turned his chair to the window, his eyes falling upon the setting sun. "That would be rude. There is a wealth of potential in Mr. Arc that has yet to be tapped. It would be a shame to throw him out without helping him foster it. That is the aim of this institution after all."

"Then what of Natsu? Why put him with that random group of students during the ceremony? Surely there were other candidates."

"Call it an experiment."

"An experiment? I'm sorry, but I don't understand. What sort of experiment?"

The Headmaster remained silent.

"Professor Ozpin?" Glynda called.

Ozpin completely drowned out Glynda's calls as the dust morphed into night. As he looked to the stars, he found his mind flashing back to that fateful night over a decade ago.

The stars were bright then just like they were tonight.

Everything about that night he remembered vividly. The feeling of the night breeze on his face, the sounds of the animals calling into the night, the smell of the swaying flowers beneath his feet. But even if he somehow forgot all of those little pieces of scenery around him, there was one thing that Ozpin would never forget...

The pink-haired boy that fell from the sky.

* * *

 **A few of you guys were (rightfully) confused as to why Natsu was not placed on a team with Pyrrha or Jaune following the Initiation, so here you go. At first I thought of just making this a giant text crawl, but I realized that would be stupid snd slightly insulting so I just decided to make the explanation its own chapter.**

 **I found it to be sort of a middle ground, by making Natsu, Pyrrha, and Jaune confused by the ruling as well. Hopefully my explanation was not too contrived for you. I tried to make it have some significance in the story as opposed to "I'm the author and I did it because I could." this way I think I can add a bit more depth to the story and the world. This is an omake of sorts, but you're free to disagree with my decision if you wish. It is what it is. Next chapter will resume the main story proper.**

 **Quick side note: I bought RWBY Vol. 3 on Blu-Ray today. Hopefully I'll be able to watch that when my workload decreases a bit.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think and thanks for reading! :)**


	7. First Day Complications

Sounds all came flooding back at once. A continuous salvo of loud rings and pings, followed swiftly by the thunderous rushing of the wind. After a few seconds, the horribly bombastic cries of animals never heard before slowly lowered to manageable levels.

Once the ringing stopped the other senses slowly started to return.

The feeling underneath his body was of that solid dirt.

The smells invading his nostrils reeked of fresh flowers and unrecognizable fauna.

Sight was the last thing to return. A fluttering of the eyelids allowed a cascade of moonlight to assault the boy's eyes. First there were black spots, but then everything started to slowly clear.

His ears picked up another sound. A voice was calling out to him.

"Are you alright, child? Wake up. Wake up..."

* * *

"Wake up!"

Natsu's eyes opened to the blinding light of the sun through his room window. When his vision cleared, he was met not with the concerned face of an onlooker…but rather the irritated scowl of his younger sister.

"Weiss…?" he weakly called. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Obviously I am waking you up. Now hurry and get dressed, class starts in less than an hour."

Weiss walked over to the closet Natsu shared with the rest of his team and began throwing pieces of his uniform at him.

"Class…?" Natsu groggily inquired as his undershirt hit him in the face.

"Yes. 'Class'." Weiss responded. She placed his toothbrush and a bar of soap on top of the pile of clothes in her Natsu's arms. She then stood him up and pushed him out of the door. "Hurry along! There isn't much time left! You will not make me late on the first day of school."

"Ok! Ok! Stop pushing. I'm going."

"I expect you back here in no less than fifteen minutes!" she shouted down the hall.

Natsu yawned as he made his way to the bathroom.

Students attending Beacon Academy lived in co-ed dorms located across the courtyard from the main school building. This meant members of a team - male and female - shared one room together at night. It was an adjustment for some, but Natsu didn't really care. He slept just as soundly no matter who was in the room with him. A certain number of team rooms - usually around five or so - shared one hall on a floor, this meant that they all shared one bathroom at the end of the hall - thankfully these were separated by gender..

Natsu turned the corner and was unexpectedly greeted by Yang and Pyrrha. The latter blushed the moment she saw her Initiation partner's state of undress, but Yang grinned.

"Get up too late to dress, flamingo head?" she teased.

"Huh?" Natsu looked down, finally realizing that he was only in his fire print underwear. "Crap. Sorry about that. Weiss tossed me out before I could put on pants."

"I-it's quite alright." Pyrrha stuttered, trying her best not to look at the half-naked pinkette.

"Yeah no problem." Yang said playfully, her eyes squarely focused on Natsu's toned abs and arms.

"I should get going. I'll see you guys in class." With that Natsu walked by the pair and continued on into the bathroom.

"How embarrassing." Pyrrha sighed, her face slowly returning to its original color.

"Oh I don't know." Yang shrugged, her eyes on the boy's bathroom door. "I thought it was a nice morning view."

Pyrrha blushed again, knowing full well what her blonde haired companion was referring to.

"Y-yes." She slowly nodded. "I suppose it was."

"That's the spirit!" Yang smiled, slapping Pyrrha on the back.

* * *

The warm shower water cascaded down Natsu's body as he meticulously scrubbed his pink locks with shampoo. He washed out the subs and smelled his fingers.

"Still smells like Grimm blood."

He squirted more shampoo into his hand and restarted the process.

"Who gets up at nine a.m. for class? This sucks."

Natsu washed more shampoo out of his hair and started on the conditioner. As he scrubbed the product through his hair, he remembered something before he left the room. Sometime in between Weiss waking him up, and her kicking him out of the room he noticed that the rest of his team was missing.

"I wonder where they went."

The water splashing in his eyes, Natsu thought back to his first ever conversation with the newly formed Team CMSN the previous night.

* * *

Natsu sat on his bed opposite his three teammates. Having returned from Professor Ozpin's office he decided now would be a good as time as any to get acquainted with the people who would be watching his back for the next four years.

"Well this isn't awkward at all." Emerald stated, finally breaking the silence.

"How about we begin by introducing ourselves?" Cinder smiled. "As Professor Ozpin said in the amphitheater, my name is Cinder Fall. This is Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black."

"Hey." Emerald waved with a smile.

"Yo." Mercury called passively. He was currently finding his nails much more appealing than this conversation.

"I'm Natsu Schnee. Nice to meet ya."

"Schnee?" Cinder repeated. "Are you related to the head of the Schnee Dust Company by any chance?"

"Yeah. That's my dad."

"Interesting." Cinder grinned. "I didn't know that we were in the presence of a celebrity."

Natsu looked away in embarrassment. "I wouldn't say I'm famous or anything. Honestly I don't really like to talk about it much. Kind of a pain really."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up." Cinder apologized.

"No worries. You didn't know." Natsu waved off. "So, where are you guys from?"

"We're from Mistral."

Natsu thought of her answer for a brief moment. Something about it didn't seem right. It sounded…rehearsed. As if she had practiced this answer countless times before.

"Really?" Natsu followed up.

"Yes." Cinder nodded. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"No. Just surprised you guys came this far."

"If I remember correctly, Pyrrha Nikos came from Mistral as well, correct? I don't see how us being from the same country is so farfetched."

"I-it's not. I was just saying."

"Of course." Cinder smiled.

There was an uneasiness that coiled around Natsu as he looked at Cinder's smile. He couldn't quite place it, but something about her was off. The longer he talked to her the worse the feeling got.

"That was impressive what you did during the Initiation." Emerald complimented - pulling Natsu's attention away from Cinder. "I've never seen someone take down a Nevermore and a Death Stalker at the same time before."

"Yeah I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?" Natsu boasted.

"And modest." Emerald muttered under her breath.

"I didn't see you guys during the trail though."

"We had taken it previously." Cinder answered.

"What happened to your fourth member?"

"Unfortunately...we lost them during a mission." Cinder said solemnly. "We got a bit ahead of ourselves, and she suffered the consequences of our recklessness."

"Oh." Natsu replied. "Sorry about that…"

"It's quite alright. With you joining we're now back to four members. It makes us seem whole again."

Natsu stuck out his chest proudly. "As long as you guys are on my team, nothing is going to happen to you on my watch. That's a promise."

Cinder giggled. "My how admirable. Then we will put our trust in you…leader."

"Don't let us down." Emerald smiled.

Mercury rolled his eyes. "Seriously with this guy?" he grumbled.

"You can count on me." Natsu assured.

* * *

 _Those guys are a bit weird - especially that Cinder chick - but they don't seem too bad. Maybe this team thing won't be lame after all._

Natsu finished dressing himself and stepped out of the bathroom. To his surprise he was met by Weiss.

"What took you so long?" she scolded. "It's 8:55! Class starts in five minutes!"

"Sorry. Guess I got caught up in the shower. Those things feel great. Wish they were hotter though."

"We don't have time for this!" Weiss groaned as she fixed her brother's crooked tie. Once done with that she pulled him by said tie through the hallway. "Hurry or we'll be late!"

"Weiss, stop pulling!"

* * *

"Monsters. De~mons. Prowlers of the night. Yes the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I prefer to call them prey. And you shall too after graduating from this prestigious academy. Now as I was saying at the start of class, Vale – as well as the other three kingdoms – are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world…"

Natsu found it hard to stay awake as Professor Peter Port droned on and on about the dangers of Grimm and the importance of Hunters and Huntresses. Despite the round man's overwhelming enthusiasm for the topic – as well as the sound of his own voice – a very small percentage of students in his class seemed all that interested. Yang tapped on the desk in an attempt to stave off boredom, Blake read a book that had nothing to do with the class, Jaune twirled around the pencil in his hand, Nora hummed to herself as she doodled on a piece of paper, and Ren folded pieces of paper into various origami animals and flowers.

The only exceptions were Weiss and Pyrrha, who were diligently taking notes.

Natsu was starting to drift away when he felt his sister elbow him in the arm. His head to jerked forward and his eyes shot open. Revived for the moment, he quickly looked around. A trail of drool hanging from his mouth.

"Pay attention." Weiss hissed. "And clean your mouth."

Natsu wiped away the drool and refocused on Professor Port – who had now transitioned into telling a tale of his exploits as a young Hunter. Soon he found himself nodding off again.

Next to Natsu sat Ruby. Having recently awoken from slumber herself, the leader of Team RWBY was currently doodling something on a piece of paper. Giggling all the while.

"Psst! Natsu!" She whispered when she finished, holding up the paper.

The drowsy pinkette looked over to his friend and saw the finished doodle in her hand. It was a crudely drawn picture of Professor Port with stink lines radiating off of his rather round body.

Yang saw it too and all three started snickering at the drawing. Blake ignored them, but Weiss was not amused.

When Professor Port cleared his throat the four snapped at attention. Upon seeing that they were once again paying attention, he resumed his tale.

"In the end the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to the village a hero. With the beast in captivity, and my held high." He briefly bowed as if he was waiting for applause and rose again. "The moral of the story is a true Huntsman must be honorable, dependable, strategic, well-educated, and wise."

As the professor spoke these words, Weiss found herself fuming at the sight of Ruby and Natsu. Instead of listening to Professor Port's words, the two were spending their time drawing stupid pictures, balancing random objects on top of one another, playing paper football, sleeping, making ridiculous faces, and last but certainly not least…picking their noses.

The heiress was practically shaking with rage at both her older brother as well as her team leader. They were supposed to set examples for everyone else, but instead they were just goofing off. They were nothing but lazy, childish buffoons. It made her blood boil.

 _It's not fair!_

"Now who among you thinks they possess the traits needed to become an exceptional Huntsman?" Professor Port asked his class.

Weiss' hand shot into the air.

"I do, sir!" she proclaimed.

"Excellent! A volunteer."

A pair of custodians wheeled a cage into the classroom. Judging from the growls echoing through the bars - as well as the red eyes glaring at the Professor's back - it was obvious that the cage contained some form of Grimm.

"Step forth and face your opponent."

"Gladly."

Weiss went to the locker room to change into her battle gear and returned to class with Myrtenaster in hand. She stood across from the cage, readying herself for the monster locked inside.

"Go, Weiss!" Yang cheered.

"Fight well." Blake called, waving around a small flag with their team's initials.

"Yeah! Represent team RWBY!" Ruby exclaimed.

"You got this, sis." Natsu said.

"I'm trying to concentrate." Weiss said to the latter pair.

"Ready? Then let the match…begin!" Professor Port sliced the lock off of the cage and from the open sprang a Boarbatusk.

The boar-like Grimm instantly rushed the heiress. Weiss managed to dodge the beast, slashing against its side as it passed by her. To her surprise her weapon didn't even do so much as scratch the beast.

"Aha! Weren't expecting that were you?" Professor Port interjected.

Weiss reset and charged the Grimm as it came back around. The monster turned its head as the point of Weiss' sword made contact, catching the weapon between its tusks. It swung Weiss around for a bit before the two began to fight for control.

"A bold strategy!" Professor Port complimented. "I like it!"

As Weiss struggled to free Myrtenaster from the beast's clutches, the sounds of Natsu and Ruby's cheering continued to grate in her ears.

"Come on, Weiss! Show it whose boss!" Ruby said.

"Pull harder! You almost got it!" Natsu added.

She glared at them, losing focus and allowing the Boarbatusk to knock her back and throw away her weapon.

"Now what will you do without your weapon?" Professor Port questioned.

Weiss got to her knees just in time to see the Grimm rushing her once more. She jumped out of the way just in time. Making a mad dash for her weapon.

"Weiss! Attack its belly!" Ruby advised. "There's no armor under-"

"Stop telling me what do to do!" The heiress snapped.

Ruby slowly sunk her shoulders in compliance.

The Boarbatusk leapt into the air and rotated its body forward, turning itself into a wheel and rolling to Weiss at high-speed.

The heiress summoned two glyphs. One in front of her, and one above titled at an angle towards the floor.

The rolling creature slammed into the first glyph, the force of the hit stopping all of its momentum and rebounding it so the Boarbatusk fell on its back. As it struggled to turn its body upright again, Weiss quickly jumped to the glyph floating in the air – its color changing from blue to black – and leapt off with her sword held in front of her. The point of Myrtenaster pierced the Grimm's heart dead center, killing it instantly.

Weiss' breathing was labored as she stood up, her body still shaking from the rush of battle.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Professor Port congratulated. "It seems we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress in training! I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Remember to go over the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

Weiss glared at her brother and Ruby one last time before storming out of the classroom in a huff.

"What was that about?" Jaune asked aloud.

Ruby – still upset about Weiss' attitude towards her – felt Natsu place his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll go talk to her." He smiled.

"A-alright." Ruby nodded.

Natsu ran out of the classroom before everyone else, quickly catching up with his sister further down the hall.

"Weiss!" he called.

She rolled her eyes and stopped walking.

"What?"

"What happened back there? Why were you being such a jerk to Ruby? You said you were going to be nicer to her. You need to go back and say sorry."

"Why should I be the one to apologize?! She's supposed to be a leader, but all she's been is a nuisance. She's done nothing to earn her position! Back in the forest she acted like a spoiled, petulant child, and since then she hasn't changed."

"Weiss, where is-"

"And you're no different." She accused.

"Me? What did I do?"

"You two are exactly alike! You're loud, you're cocky, you're obnoxious, you're rude, and both of you couldn't care less about the consequences of your actions or how they affect people."

"Are you still mad about what happened in the forest? I already apologized-"

"This isn't about apologizing! This about what's right and what's wrong. I've studied. I've trained. And what do I have to show for all my efforts? Nothing. Not a single thing. Meanwhile you and Ruby continue to be rewarded and praised for all your reckless behavior and horrible attitudes. Frankly I deserve better."

Natsu stood in silence as Weiss turned her back to him. From her perspective It was hard for him not to empathize with her. It had to be more than a little frustrating to study so hard but still fall short to people who couldn't be bothered to stay awake in the first class of the school year.

Putting that concern in the back of his mind, he grabbed Weiss by the arm and pulled her around the corner.

"What are you doing?! Unhand me!"

"You need to say sorry to Ruby. I'll go with you so-"

"I said let me go!" Weiss ripped her arm out Natsu's grasp. "We're not at home and you're not father! So stop trying to tell me what to do!"

"Weiss…"

"Ozpin made a mistake. He shouldn't have made Ruby team leader…and he shouldn't have let you in at all."

With those final words she walked away.

"I guess things didn't go well?"

Ruby walked to Natsu, having heard the entire conversation from down the hall. Suffice to say she was more than a little let down.

"Not really, but don't worry I'll keep trying." Natsu smiled to try and cheer Ruby up, but it didn't work.

"She really does hate me." Ruby sulked.

"Weiss doesn't hate you. She's just…trying to adjust."

"That seems like the appropriate phrase. Well put, Mr. Schnee."

Professor Ozpin approached the pair. As usual he had a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Was she right, Professor?" Ruby implored. "Did you make a mistake choosing us?"

The Headmaster grinned. "That remains to be seen."

Natsu and Ruby were confused by this answer.

"What do you mean?" the young girl asked.

"It's only been one day." Ozpin explained. "Hardly enough time to make such a bold decision." He looked to Natsu - his pensive stare confusing the young man. "I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, but at this moment I would not consider your appointments as leaders one of them. Do you?"

"Nope." Natsu spoke up. Ruby wasn't so sure.

"Being a leader isn't just a title you carry into battle. It is a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your best, then what reason do you give for others to follow you?"

Ruby sensed the truth in these words and finally grinned.

"You've both been burdened with an incredible responsibility. I advise you each take some time, and figure out how you are going to uphold it."

Ozpin bid the pair farewell and proceeded back to his office.

Natsu scratched his head. "What did he mean by that?"

"Hey, Natsu." Ruby spoke.

"What's up?"

"I have a favor to ask."

* * *

Weiss walked out to the school's rooftop at sunset. Her mind still filled with ill thoughts of her brother and Ruby - having ignored them all day - her spirits brightened a bit when she saw Professor Port looking out to the horizon.

"Professor Port!" she called to him.

"Ah, Ms. Schnee!" The portly instructor greeted jubilantly. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I…I really enjoyed your lecture."

"Well of course you did, dear girl, you have the blood of a true Huntress running through your veins after all."

"You really think so?" Weiss happily queried.

"Absolutely."

Weiss looked away from the professor for a moment, her eyes downcast as she fidgeted.

"Something seems to be troubling you." Professor Port noted.

"Y-yes, sir." Weiss nervously confirmed.

"Well don't be shy, dear girl. Confess to me your strife."

"I…I should have been the leader of team RWBY."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Preposterous!" Professor Port voiced.

"Excuse me?" Weiss said in offense.

"After following Professor Ozpin for many years, I am proud to say that never once has the man lead me astray."

"So you'd blindly accept the decision he made even after seeing how exceptionally skilled I am?"

"With all due respect, Ms. Schnee, your exceptional skill on the battlefield is almost completely undercut by your rather poor attitude."

"How dare you?!"

"You only prove my point. Do you know what I see behind all of the bluster and skill?"

"Enlighten me."

"I see a girl who grew up receiving everything she ever wanted." Professor Port stated plainly.

Weiss crossed her arms and raised her nose in defiance.

"That is not even close to the truth." she denied.

Professor Port raised his brow in response. This served to wear the heiress down.

"Well…not entirely true." Weiss admitted.

"So things did not go your way. That is life. Do you really believe that acting the way you have would cause those holding power to reconsider their stance?"

Weiss offered no answer, but the Professor could tell that his words were starting to get through to her.

"Instead of worrying about what you **don't** have. Treasure what you **do**. Hone your skills. Perfect every technique. Appreciate your family. And seek not to be the best **leader** , but the best **person** you can be."

Weiss let the advice settle into her mind, and soon a small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I will." she nodded. "Thank you, Professor Port."

"You are very welcome, child." The man smiled beneath his burly mustache.

* * *

When Weiss returned to her team's room that night, she was welcomed by a most unusual sight. Gone were the four beds laying side by side in the room. Instead they had been converted into crudely made bunk beds.

Yang and Blake's beds were made into one bunk - which was unsafely held together with a random stack books under each leg of Yang's bed - and her's and Ruby's were made into the other.

Yang and Blake's bunk was - rather haphazardly - held together by stacks of random books under each leg of Yang's bed, while Ruby's bed was suspended over Weiss' by a rope attached to the ceiling. All things considered this was the worst way the create bunk beds.

Weiss pulled back the curtain around Ruby's bed to see her team leader sleeping the night away with a pencil in her hand. There were also pieces of paper scattered next to her head, and textbooks on various subjects surrounding her on all sides. Weiss looked over her notes and found herself amazed at Ruby's diligence. She pressed on her arm to wake her up.

When Ruby saw Weiss at the side of her bed she quickly rose up.

"W-Weiss! I was studying and I fell asleep. I'm sorry I-"

Weiss covered Ruby's mouth so she wouldn't wake Yang and Blake. Her eyes trailed along the bed once more, this time falling on an empty overturned mug.

"How do you take your coffee?" she asked, removing her hand from Ruby's mouth so she could answer.

Ruby didn't know how to respond. "Uh…I don't…"

"Just answer the question."

"Creme with five sugars!" Ruby quickly answered.

Weiss sighed. "Don't move. I'll be right back." Weiss briefly dropped out of sight, soon returning with a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby said as she tentatively took the mug. She still had no idea what was going on. Was she being pranked? Did Weiss spike her coffee with something? There was really no way to tell.

"Ruby, I think you have the makings of a great leader." Weiss said. "So I just want you to know that I will be the best teammate you've ever had."

All of Ruby's anxieties melted away and the girls smiled at each other.

"Good luck studying." Weiss fell back to the ground, but quickly popped back again and pointed at the paper Ruby was writing on. "That's wrong by the way." She fell down again, this time making her way to the door.

"Weiss...thanks." Ruby said.

"You're welcome." Weiss smiled as she closed the door and entered the hallway.

 _That's one down._ She mentally noted.

She walked further down hall – past Team JNPR's room – to the second to last door at the end of the hallway. She took a deep breath and lightly tapped her knuckles on the door. After a few seconds of hearing shuffling and locks being turned, the door opened to reveal a very tired Emerald Sustrai.

"Yeah?" she irritably asked. Her hair was more than a little messy, and her eyes were more than a little red. "What do you want?"

"I-I'm sorry for waking you this time of night." Weiss apologized. "I was wondering if I could speak to Natsu."

Emerald yawned. "Alright. Hold on."

"Thank you."

The door closed and Weiss stood there as she once again heard sounds from inside the room - these ones sounding more like irritated groans and grumbles.

When the door reopened, Natsu was on the other side. He looked just as tired as Emerald was when she opened the door.

"Weiss? What's going on? Don't you know what time it is?"

"I need to talk to you."

"It can't wait until tomorrow?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. if I don't say this now, I never will."

Natsu sighed. "Ok. Fine." He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He was wearing nothing but pajama bottoms.

"You could have at least put on a shirt."

"What do you want?"

"I…" Weiss twisted her toes into the tile flooring of the dormitory, nervously averting her eyes from her brother's tired gaze. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I said really harsh, unforgivable things to you and you didn't deserve that. I was just taking my frustrations out on you because I didn't get my way. I'm really, really sorry."

Natsu yawned as he looked down at his sisters bowed head. "That it?"

"What do you mean is 'that it'?" Weiss implored. "I'm trying to apologize here."

"Yeah. I know, but you really didn't have to."

"But I-"Weiss stopped talking when Natsu placed his hand on her head.

"I forgave as soon as you walked away."

"You…you did?"

Natsu smiled wide. "We're siblings. Whether we like it or not, we're stuck together. So it really doesn't matter what mean things you say to me. I'll always forgive you. That's what family does. Besides it's not like that's the worst thing you ever said to me, and you'll probably say even worse stuff to me later."

Weiss slumped her shoulders in shame. "But I don't want to be the kind of person that says rude things to people all the time. I want to be better."

"You apologized to Ruby before coming here right?"

Weiss nodded.

"Then it looks like you're already a better person. You can't rush it. Just got to do a little better each day."

Weiss grinned and looked to her brother. "That was surprisingly helpful."

"I use my brain every once in a while."

Weiss hugged him. "Thank you, Natsu. I'm glad you came here."

"Thanks, me too. Now are we done?" he pointed his thumb to his room door. "I kinda wanna go back to sleep."

"Yes. We're finished." Weiss let go of Natsu and started to walk away.

He turned to reenter his room, but stopped when Weiss called to him one last time.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"You're the reason our room is in shambles now aren't you?"

"Well Ruby asked me to help move stuff around. Then when they mentioned bunk beds I said that you always wanted one as a kid so we went for it. You like it?"

Weiss grinned. "It'll do for now." She started down the hall again. "Good night, big brother."

Natsu smiled as he watched her walk away.

"Night, little sister."

* * *

 **New chapter is up for y'all to read. Still somewhat playing around the the character dynamics here so sorry if things are a bit rough. Trying to add more to the canon with Natsu thrown in is a bit harder than I thought, but I feel I'm managing well enough. You guys are the real judge though.**

 **Don't worry, there will be wholly original content in this story, mostly in how Natsu ties with these character's various stories and arcs. One revelation about his connection to one of the main characters is coming up fairly soon. There is also the matter of his team and just how they will all influence one another. There are some kinks, but I will be sure to iron them out. As for his relationship with Weiss, I like to think of Natsu as taking the role of a big brother very seriously (this is slightly shown in regular FT through his interactions with Wendy and Romeo) so I like writing those scenes between the two. Hopefully you like them as well.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think and thanks for reading! :)**


	8. A Friend in Need

The sweet songs of the birds outside of Team RWBY's room brought with them the promise of a new day. This and the radiant sunlight welcomed Weiss Schnee into the world of the living once more. The light breeze filtering in from the window softly caressing her face, the young heiress opened her eyes. She rose from her bed and yawned with her arms stretched overhead.

Ruby Rose inched closer to her teammate and partner, shattering Weiss' moment of peace with the loud blowing of a whistle.

The heiress jumped in fright, falling over into a heap on the floor.

"Good morning, Team RWBY!" Ruby shouted.

"What is wrong with you?" Weiss asked from the floor.

"Now that you're finally awake we can get the day started."

"Yeah! We don't time to waste!" Yang exclaimed. She and Blake were already fully dressed.

"We're supposed to be meeting in the amphitheater for battle training with Professor Goodwitch soon." Blake informed.

"Fine. I'll go get ready." Weiss picked herself up and dusted off her nightgown. She glared at Ruby as she walked by her. "There are better ways to wake people up you know."

"Sorry." The young girl apologized with a nervous laugh.

This made Weiss sigh.

"I'll return shortly." She grabbed her belongings and walked out of the room and into the hall of the dormitory. On the way to the bathroom she was greeted by her brother.

"What happened to you? You look terrible."

Natsu was alluding to the fact that his sister's normally straight hair was a mess, and her nightgown was more than a little wrinkled.

"I don't want to talk about it." she answered roughly.

Weiss walked past her brother and entered the bathroom.

"Oh, Natsu. Good morning."

Natsu turned and was met with the sight of Team JNPR; Pyrrha having been the one who spoke to him.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"We thought it best to arrive at class early so we aren't late…again." Ren said.

"Sounds like a good plan." Natsu admitted with a laugh.

"You're up early." Nora noted. "You're usually snoring away right about now."

Natsu was caught off guard by the normally spacey girl's remark. He didn't know she was so observant.

"Something just woke me up earlier today I guess. I was even up before Weiss."

"That is quite the feat." Pyrrha joked.

"Is your team still inside your room?" Jaune pointed.

"Nah they're gone. I think they have early classes or something."

"Strange. I've never heard of classes starting earlier than nine." Pyrrha said.

Natsu shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. They're usually back by night fall."

"Must be hard to be a leader when your team isn't around." Ren said.

"Kinda, but I've gotten used to it."

Weiss exited the bathroom fully dressed. She walked past her brother and Team JNPR, greeting each of them as she normally did.

"Hey, Weiss." Jaune greeted with a confident smirk as he leaned against the wall. "You're looking lovely this morning."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Good morning, Jaune. Do you mind moving out of the way? I really don't have time for this."

"What's the rush, snow angel?"

"I'll be late for class."

At this Jaune quickly moved out of the way. "Oh yeah. Class. Sorry. Go ahead."

"Thank you." Weiss forced a smile and returned to Team RWBY's room.

"You're welcome." Jaune said in defeat.

"Strike two!" Nora shouted, forming an X with her arms.

"Nora…" Ren said in scolding tone.

"Can't you help me out a bit here, Natsu?" Jaune pleaded. "What can I do to get Weiss to like me?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're her brother! Come on you gotta know something! What kind of guys doe she like?"

"I don't know." Natsu rubbed his chin. "I guess she likes…playboys?"

"Playboys?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. Smooth talkers. Those guys that act like they're cooler than they actually are."

Jaune sulked. "But all I've been doing is acting like I'm cooler than I am! There's gotta be something else you can tell me."

Natsu shook her his head. "Nope. I'm not getting anywhere near that. All that lovey dovey stuff isn't for me. I just like to hit things."

Pyrrha watched as Jaune desperately pleaded with Natsu for answers. Despite hearing the pinkette's thoughts on the matter, she couldn't help but wonder.

 _What sort of girls is Natsu interested in?_

* * *

Blake and Ruby watched Yang and Weiss argued in front of them.

"Absolutely not!" Weiss refused.

"It's just a question, Weiss." Yang defended.

"A foolish question that I refuse to answer."

This all started when Weiss returned to the room. Suddenly, she was asked by Yang if Natsu currently had a girlfriend. For reasons that the remaining three members of Team RWBY had yet to figure out, this made Weiss even crankier than usual, and she quickly dismissed Yang's question as nonsense.

"Why don't you just tell me? It's not like I'm going to hit on him or anything." Yang said. "I'm just curious."

"Natsu already has enough to deal with." Weiss retorted. "What with his faltering grade point average and horrible attendance record. The last thing he needs is to be tangled up with some hussy and get himself expelled."

"Hey!" Yang shouted in offense. "I'm not a hussy."

"I don't mean you specifically. I mean in general. Now stop this foolishness and let's head to class." Weiss walked to the door.

"So…is that a no?"

"Just come on!" Weiss shouted from the hallway.

Yang turned to her sister and Blake.

"What's her problem?" She asked.

Both of them shrugged.

* * *

Ren slid back on his heels on the arena floor through a cloud of dust.

Digging the blades of his StormFlower pistols into the ground, he was able to slow his momentum and come to a full stop a few meters away from where he started. His breathing ragged he looked up, his eyes widening when a haze of pink and black rushed him.

Natsu swung his leg forward, but Ren ducked under Natsu's leg and stood up, pointing the barrel of his gun at the pinkette's face.

"It's over." He declared. Ren's eyes were cold, but Natsu simply grinned at him.

Ren pressing against him and looked down. His eyes slightly narrowed when he saw Natsu's right arm cannon poking against his stomach.

"On three?" Natsu challenged with a confident smirk. He started to squeeze the trigger.

"I believe that is enough."

A buzzer sounded and the lights in the amphitheater came up. Glynda Goodwitch approached Natsu and Ren, the two lowering their weapons and stepping back from each other while she took center stage. Above her were portraits of Natsu and Ren with bars under them. Natsu's was fully green, while Ren's was yellow and half way empty. In the middle of the pictures was a timer that had reached zero.

"Time is up. Now I want you all to turn your attention to the screens." She said to the students gathered in the theater. "The bar below indicates the level of your Aura. This is important to keep in mind, because this is how you will be judged during the Vytal Festival. Once you're Aura is measured below fifteen percent or 'in the red' the match is over and you lose. You are able to check on the status of your Aura at all times via your scroll."

She turned to Natsu and Ren.

"Thank you for participating. You two may leave now."

As the boys moved off stage to rejoin the others, Professor Goodwitch had one more thing to say.

"And Mr. Schnee, please try and refrain from destroying the building next time. The school can only afford so much when it comes to repairs."

Natsu looked around at all of the destruction he caused during his battle with Ren. Holes in the stage, broken railings on the balcony, shattered lights, it was as if a war had gone on.

"Sorry about that." Natsu apologized with a rueful smile.

"Good job, Ren." Pyrrha praised.

"Yeah! You did great!" Nora exclaimed.

"Thank you, but I just got lucky." Ren admitted. "Natsu is much stronger than I thought. Had that match gone on any longer I doubt I'd still be standing."

"Must you always overdo things?" Weiss said to her brother.

"Guess I don't know how to hold back." Natsu said.

"Nothing wrong with that." Yang approved with a nod.

Glynda looked to her tablet to determine who would be fighting next.

"Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester, please come to the stage."

Jaune gulped loudly when he heard his opponent's name. "Not that guy." He whined.

When he looked to Team CRDL they were all high-fiving and laughing, Cardin in particular voicing how easy this match was going to be.

"Don't let them discourage you, Jaune." Pyrrha said. "I know you can win."

"Yeah." Ruby nodded, patting Jaune on the back. "Do your best."

"Guess I don't have too much to worry about since it's just a spar." Jaune reasoned.

"That's the spirit." Pyrrha smiled.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and walked on to the stage.

"He's going to lose, isn't he?" Blake asked deadpan.

"Definitely." Yang nodded.

"Kick his butt, Jaune!" Natsu shouted.

Cardin and Jaune stood face to face on the stage with their weapons drawn. Jaune tried his best to look intimidating but it proved useless on his opponent, who simply looked down his nose at him with a cocky grin - it also didn't help that Jaune's legs wouldn't stop shaking.

"Are the competitors ready?" Ms. Goodwitch asked. The lights went down. "Then let the match begin!"

Jaune charged Cardin shield first.

 _If I land the first hit maybe I'll get lucky and beat him!_

He readied his sword to strike, but Cardin stepped to the side. He stuck out his foot, causing Jaune to trip and fall on to his face.

"You should watch where you're going." Cardin mocked.

"This is not going to end well." Ren commented.

"Don't say that/ Jaune can still win. He just needs to focus." Pyrrha defended.

Jaune stood up to resettled into his battle stance, his eyes narrowed at his opponent.

"Ohhh scary. Bring it." Cardin challenged.

Jaune swung his sword, but Cardin dodged again.

The leader of Team CRDL countered with a swing his mace. Jaune managed to block the attack with his shield, but the impact of the hit still sent him flying across the stage.

"Ok. That's not working." Jaune huffed as he rose to feet again.

"Is that all you got?" Carding taunted. "I'm not even breaking a sweat here." Team CRDL's leader lorded over his opponent with his smug smirk. Jaune was no threat to him at all, and he knew it. His Aura had not diminished in the slightest, while Jaune's was already turning orange.

"Come on, Jaune. You can do it." Ruby quietly cheered from the sidelines.

Weiss looked to the screens overhead. Jaune's Aura bar was lowering little by little.

"He's almost in the red." She stated.

Jaune hunched over. His sword being stuck in the groun was the only thing keeping him upright. He heaved in exhaustion. He was ready to pass out. Cardin's blows had taken a lot out of him in such a short time.

"At least try to hit me." Cardin said. "I almost feel sorry for you."

"Come on." Jaune said to himself. "You can do this." He forced himself to charge forward but just like before he was batted away by Cardin – this time he losing his shield in the scuffle.

Determined to keep fighting, Jaune tried another attack. He brought his blade downward, only for it to be blocked by the handle of Cardin's club. The two fought for position, with the much larger Cardin quickly gaining the upper hand.

"This is where you give up." He said to Jaune.

The blonde's face remained defiant.

"Over my dead-"

Cardin forced his knee into Jaune's stomach, knocking out all of his wind and doubling him over. Jaune fell over on the ground coughing in pain as Cardin loomed over him with his club held high. Before he could strike the final blow, the buzzer sounded and the lights came up.

"That's enough."

Glynda walked back onto the stage. "As you can see students, Mr. Arc's Aura is in the red. As I explained earlier in class, if this were a tournament style duel the official would be able to call the match."

She turned her attention to Jaune – who was still sitting on the ground.

"Mr. Arc, please make it a habit to refer to your scroll during battle. That will let you know when it is appropriate to attack, and when it is time for more…defensive strategies."

Jaune dropped his head in shame. "Yes, ma'am."

"We wouldn't want you to be eaten by a Beowolf now would we?"

"Speak for yourself." Cardin muttered. He threw his club over his shoulder and walked to his team.

"Remember, everyone. The Vytal Festival is only a few short months away." Glynda announced to the rest of the students. "It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms arrive here in Vale. So it is imperative that you keep practicing. Those among you who choose to participate in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale, so please do your best."

As Glynda finished the school bell rang.

"Class is now dismissed."

"The Vytal Festival! Oh I can't wait!" Ruby squealed in excitement. The rest of her team shared in her enthusiasm.

"I'm totally gonna kick some butt!" Yang declared while shadowboxing.

"It does sound fun." Weiss admitted with a grin. "An excellent place to test our skills."

Blake nodded in agreement.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Natsu shouted.

While Team RWBY, Natsu, Ren, and Nora talked about the upcoming tournament, Pyrrha focused on Jaune.

He was still seated in a slump on the stage.

Natsu placed a hand on his grumbling stomach. "Is it lunchtime yet?"

"Actually I think that was the lunch bell that just rang." Blake answered.

"Finally! Let's hit the cafeteria already! I'm starving!" He sprinted out of the amphitheater.

"Natsu, wait for us!" Weiss shouted, running after him.

"I swear that guy only thinks about fighting and food." Yang said as she, Ruby, and Blake followed the siblings.

"What's wrong with that?" Ruby asked her sister in genuine confusion.

* * *

"So there we were…in the middle of the night."

"It was day."

"Surrounded on all sides by Ursai."

"Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!"

"More like two."

"But in the end they were no match for us. Ren and I took them down and made a fortune in Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!"

Nora sat down at the cafeteria table with her arms crossed and a wide smile on her lips, obviously proud of the conclusion of the story she just told. The others were not as enthusiastic. While Yang seemed engrossed in the tale: Blake was nose deep in a book, Natsu was stuffing his face with what would be his third plate of food, and Weiss was filing her fingernails.

"She's been having this dream for over a month now." Ren explained to the group.

"Thounds awthum." Natsu muffled.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Weiss half-heartedly chided as she examined her nails. She quickly went back to filing.

At the end of the table, Pyrrha and Ruby found themselves attempting to comfort a despondent Jaune.

"Are you ok, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked him.

Her leader looked up from his food – which he had yet to eat.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Totally ok. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that you seem a little…not ok." Ruby contended.

At this point everyone started paying attention to Jaune with the exception of Natsu, who was still eating, and Weiss - still shaping her nails.

"Guys, I'm fine." Jaune reassured. "Seriously. Look." He smiled weakly and gave a thumbs up. If it wasn't obvious to everyone by now that he was lying, then his fake laugh sealed the deal.

A louder laugh was heard from a table not too far away. When Jaune looked over he saw Team CRDL surrounding a scared young Faunus girl with brown rabbit ears. He squeezed his hand in anger.

"Cardin has been picking on you since the first week of school." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Who? Cardin Winchester?" Jaune questioned - now looking back to his friends. "No he doesn't. He just likes to mess around. He's a joker."

"He's a bully." Ruby angrily corrected.

"Oh please." Jaune dismissed with a wave. "Name one time Cardin's 'bullied' me."

"There was that time in the hall when he knocked your scroll on the ground." Ren said.

"The time he opened your shield in the classroom doorway." Nora added.

"And then there was the 'rocket locker' incident." Ruby said last.

"Those first two were just jokes." Jaune laughed off.

"What about the locker?"

"…It's not like I landed far from the school."

"Jaune, you should know that if you ever need help you can just ask." Pyrrha said.

"Oh I know! We'll break his legs!" Nora offered with a mischievous smirk.

"Goofdnd aghmm!" Natsu smiled through a mouthful of fish.

"What did I just tell you?!" Weiss yelled.

Natsu finished chewing. "Sorry."

"Guys, I'm fine." Jaune said. "Besides it's not like he's just a jerk to me…he's a jerk to everyone."

"Ow! Stop! That hurts!"

The group looked over to the table Team CRDL was sitting at. The scream came from the Faunus girl that were crowding, whose ears were now being pulled by on by a laughing Cardin.

"I told you they were real." He said to his team.

"What a freak." Russel laughed.

"Atrocious." Pyrrha growled. "I can't stand people like him."

"Unfortunately he's not the only one." Blake said.

"It must be hard to be a Faunus." Yang sympathized.

Natsu rose from his seat and walked away.

"Natsu? Where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"Please stop."

The bunny girl pleaded with Cardin, but he and his team continued to mock and belittle her.

"What's that? I couldn't hear you." Cardin laughed. Suddenly he felt someone grab his wrist. "Who is-"

He looked up he saw Natsu looming over him, the pinkette keeping a tight grip on his arm.

"Leave her alone." He demanded in a low roar.

Cardin smirked in defiance. "Or what, pinky? You gonna make me-"

Natsu squeezed Cardin's wrist, forcing him to let go of the girl's ears.

"Agh! Let go of me, you freak!" Cardin shouted. He forcefully managed to free himself from Natsu's iron grip. "You want a piece of me?!"

When Cardin looked into Natsu's eyes, he found himself intimidated by the firmness of the pinkette's stare. It looked like he welcomed a fight. Cardin stood up from the table, rubbing his sore wrist and slowly backing off. "This isn't over. Come on, guys. We're outta here."

Team CRDL retreated, Natsu watching them until they exited the cafeteria. When they were gone he looked to the Faunus girl and smiled.

"You alright?"

"Y-yes I am. T-thank you."

"Don't mention it. I doubt those guys will bother you again."

"Thank you so much." The girl quickly bowed her head and walked away; a small smile on her lips.

Natsu returned to his table.

"You never were one to mind your own business." Weiss smirked. "I'm proud of you."

"That was pretty cool what you did." Yang smiled.

"Yes it was." Blake agreed with a nod.

"You were awesome." Ruby praised.

"Well done, Natsu." Pyrrha smiled.

"It was nothing." Natsu waved off. "I just hate seeing jerks like that mess with people because they're bigger. It pisses me off."

As the others all praised Natsu for his handling of Team CRDL, Jaune felt more left out than usual. With a depressed sigh he walked away from the table, Cardin watching him from outside of the cafeteria in interest.

* * *

"...this was prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, or what's more popularly known these days as the 'Faunus War'. Humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie."

Professor Bartholomew Oobleck darted around the room – his students desperately trying to keep up with his jerky movements - as he continued his lecture.

He was odd one to say the least. A man of average build, Professor Oobleck's his most distinctive features were his bright green hair, loose fitting tie, his dress shirt whose left half was the only part tucked into his pant, and his rather frantic way of speaking.

This all seemed to stem from his rather obvious addiction to coffee – or what ever liquid he drank every few seconds or so after he would speak.

Despite all of these factors, he was still rather interested and focused on the topic he taught at Beacon. History. Too bad not all of his students shared his passion.

Both Jaune and Natsu - the latter eventually succumbing to slumber - fought off sleep and Cardin found the state of his hair much more appealing than the ongoing hostilities between Faunus and humans.

"It is vital for you all to remember that these are recent events. Why even today repercussions of the uprising can still be seen. Now, have any of you been the subject of discrimination or ridicule because of your Faunus heritage."

The timid Faunus girl that Natsu saved in the lunch room sat in the front row of class. She was hesitant to raise her hand, but when she saw a couple other Faunus students in class raise theirs she slowly did the same.

"Dreadful. Simply dreadful." Professor Oobleck said. "Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence between our races."

He took another sip of from his cup.

"For an example of this fact you need only look to the downfall of Lie Fang. Pop quiz! Which among you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believed to be the turning point in the third year of the war?"

Weiss raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?" Professor Oobleck pointed.

"The battle at Fort Castle."

"Excellent! Correct!" Oobleck zipped behind his desk. "Now who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Legume's forces?"

Cardin – who was seated in the row above a drowsy Jaune – flicked a paper football down onto the blonde's head.

"Hey!" Jaune shouted as he woke up. Professor Oobleck was in front of him in an instant.

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class, this is excellent! Excellent! Now, what is the answer?"

Jaune's brain completely shut down. He counted himself lucky that he at least heard the question - despite having no idea what the answer is.

"Um…the answer…to the question about the advantage the Faunus had…is…" He stalled and his eyes trailed over to Pyrrha and Blake – who were seated where Oobleck's back was turned. He silently begged for their help.

The redhead repeatedly pointed to her eyes, but Jaune wasn't getting the hint. When she cupped them, a spark of inspiration hit Jaune and he triumphantly shouted his answer.

"Binoculars!"

The class laughed, but Professor Oobleck was not impressed. Neither was Pyrrha, who palmed her face in disappointment.

Oobleck blurred back to his desk.

"Very funny, Mr. Arc. What about you, Cardin? Care to share your thoughts on the subject?"

"Well I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." The young man answered with just a hnt of prejudice.

Pyrrha tempered her response as delicately as she could. "You're not the most…open-minded person. Are you?"

"You gotta problem or something?" Cardin challenged.

"No. I have the answer."

"Then by all means enlighten us, Ms. Nikos." Professor Oobleck allowed.

"It was night vision. Many Faunus are known to have perfect sight in the dark."

Cardin grumbled in annoyance.

"General Legume underestimated his enemy and tried to ambush the Faunus in their sleep." Blake added. "As a result his army was outmatched and the General himself was captured. Perhaps if he had paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

Blake's pointed words were aimed straight at Cardin. The bully rose from his seat in a rage, his fists clenched and ready for a fight.

"Mr. Winchester, please sit down." Professor Oobleck said in exasperation. When he heard Jaune snicker he zipped to his seat. "You **and** Mr. Arc can see me after class for additional readings."

"Oh man." Jaune whined.

"Now moving on…"

* * *

The students – with the exception of Jaune and Cardin – all filed out of the classroom once the bell rang.

"Nothing beats a nap after a good meal." Natsu smiled as he stretched his arms above his head.

"I can't believe you slept through the entire class." Weiss said in annoyance. "Do you care about your grades at all?"

"Of course I care." Natsu defended. "It's just hard to stay awake when everything is so boring."

Weiss reached into her bag. She pulled out a spare notebook and handed it to her brother.

"Here. This is the last time I take your notes for you."

"You're the best, Weiss." Natsu smiled. He gave his sister a hug and lifted her into the air.

"What are you doing?! Let go of me, you idiot!"

"Um…excuse me." A small voice said.

Natsu let Weiss down and turned to the sound of the voice. Behind him was the Faunus girl from earlier.

"Oh hey. You're that girl from the cafeteria."

"I-I am…" the girl nodded. She began to fidget, her eyes darting from side to side.

"Do you need to see the nurse or something?" Weiss asked.

"Actually...I was hoping I could talk to you." She pointed to Natsu. "If that's ok..."

"Me?" Natsu questioned. The girl nodded.

"Well then I'm going on ahead." Weiss said. It was obvious to her that the Faunus girl wanted to speak with her brother privately. "I'll see you at dinner time."

"Ok." Natsu waved Weiss goodbye before returning his attention to the nervous Faunus girl. "So, what did you wanna talk about?"

"I…" the girl continued to fidget. "I just wanted to thank you again for what you did…in the cafeteria. Most people just look the other way when things like that happen to Faunus."

"It really wasn't anything special. I just hate bullies. Doesn't matter if they're a person of a Faunus. As long as you're ok then that's all the thanks I need."

"O-oh ok." The girl looked away again, this time with a blush on her face.

"Oh I almost forgot." Natsu held out his hand to the girl and smiled wide. "I'm Natsu. What's your name?"

"V-velvet." The girl timidly answered. "Velvet Scarlatina."

"Nice to meet ya, Velvet." Natsu reached for her hand and shook it.

"L-likewise." She nodded. "I-I should be going now. My next class starts soon."

"Ok then." Natsu let go of Velvet's hand. "Maybe I'll see you around again some time."

"I...I think I'd like that." Velvet smiled softly. "Goodbye, Natsu."

"See ya later."

The two waved one another goodbye.

"Guess I'll head back to my room now and-"

Natsu looked back to Professor Oobleck's classroom and happened to see Pyrrha standing by the open door. Curious, he walked over to her.

"What are you still doing here, Pyrrha?"

"Hello, Natsu." she greeted with a smile. "I was just waiting on Jaune."

"Why? What happened?"

"You were probably still sleeping when it happened, but Professor Oobleck asked that Jaune and Cardin stay for additional reading after class."

"That sucks." Natsu sympathized. "Especially since Jaune's stuck with **that** guy."

"I know. The situation isn't good at all."

The pair could hear Professor Oobleck's scolding from the hall.

"You two have been struggling in my class since day one. Now I don't know if it's a lack of interest or just simply your stubborn nature but whatever it is…it stops now."

"He's really letting them have it." Natsu said.

He looked to Pyrrha. Her head was titled downward, and her brow was wrinkled. "Something wrong?"

"I'm worried about Jaune." She said. "He seems to be having a really hard time adjusting to school life. He's not very good in either combat or regular classes, and on top of that he's getting bullied. I want to help him, but I just don't know how. I feel so useless as a teammate."

Natsu empathized with Pyrrha's predicament. His wished there was something he could do as well. Despite them being on different teams, he still thought of the pair as his partners.

"I don't know either but I'm sure you'll figure something out." he reassured. "You're pretty smart after all."

Pyrrha looked to Natsu's smile, but quickly averted her gaze when she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Y-you don't have to stay here with me." she said. "I'm sure you must have other things to do."

"Actually I don't, but even if I did they can wait." Natsu said. "Nothing's more important than helping out a friend."

Pyrrha let herself smile. "You're a good person, Natsu."

"Thanks. So are you."

Pyrrha's cheeks turned even redder as a silence fell over the two. All the students that were previously roaming the halls had either returned to the dormitory or entered their next class. Natsu and Pyrrha were alone in the hall.

 _Perhaps now is the right time to ask him._ Pyrrha thought.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"I have…a question I've been meaning to ask."

"Shoot."

Pyrrha cleared her throat as best she could before speaking, her cheeks still aflame.

"Recently I've been wondering….what kind of girls are you-"

Just then the door to the classroom opened.

"Looks like they're done." Natsu said.

"O-oh yes. Of course." Pyrrha said in slight disappointment.

"Sorry, what was that question again?"

"I-It was nothing!" Pyrrha said quickly. "D-don't worry about it." she meekly laughed.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Ok then..."

Cardin knocked Jaune to the ground and walked past him, laughing all the way down the hall.

Pyrrha and Natsu helped him up to his feet.

"I really will break his legs." Pyrrha offered.

"His arms too." Natsu added.

Jaune sighed. "It's ok, guys. I'm fine."

Just then Pyrrha had an idea.

"I've got it! Come with me, you two!" She grabbed Natsu and Jaune by the arms and dragged them away.

* * *

The redhead brought Natsu and Jaune to the roof of the dormitory building. The three walked to the edge, a confused Jaune looking over it. It was a very long – and painful – way down.

"Pyrrha, I know I'm having a tough time but I'm not **that** depressed." He said. "I could always just be a farmer…or something."

"What are we doing up here anyway?" Natsu asked. "I'm not having any problems. Did you want me to jump too?"

"No!" Pyrrha pushed the two away from the edge. "That's not what I brought you to here for."

"Ok…so~ what did you bring us here for?" Natsu asked.

"For Jaune." Pyrrha answered.

"Me?" The blonde questioned. "I'm pretty sure I just said I'm not gonna jump from-"

"I don't mean that! I know you've been having a hard time in class, and that you're still not the strongest of fighters."

"Or strong at all." Natsu interjected.

"Thanks, guys." Jaune said sarcastically. "That makes me feel a whole lot better."

"What we're trying to say is we want to help you." Pyrrha clarified with a smile.

"We do?" Natsu questioned.

Pyrrha swiftly elbowed him in the rib.

"I mean yeah! We do!"

Jaune was confused.

"What?"

"We can train up here. The three of us. After class where no one can bother us." Pyrrha explained.

"You guys think I need help?"

"N-no!" Pyrrha backtracked.

"Kind of." Natsu shrugged.

"We didn't mean it like that."

"But that's what you just said." Jaune countered.

"Everyone needs help sometimes, man." Natsu said.

"Right." Pyrrha nodded. "That doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You being at Beacon now speaks volumes of what you're capable of."

Jaune turned his back on the two.

"You're wrong." He said. "I don't belong here."

"That's a terrible thing to say." Pyrrha argued. "Of course you do-"

"No I don't!" Jaune snapped. "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon."

"I…I don't understand."

"Yeah. What are you talking about?" Natsu questioned.

"I didn't go to combat school! I didn't pass any tests! I didn't earn my spot at this academy! I lied! I got a hold of some fake transcripts, and I lied."

Jaune's revelation shocked Pyrrha, but Natsu remained silent.

"What? But…why?" Pyrrha asked, desperately trying to understand.

"Because this is all I wanted to be!" Jaune answered "My father, my grandfather, and even my great-grandfather! All of them were great warriors. They were heroes. I just wanted to be like them…but I wasn't good enough."

"Then let us help you."

Pyrrha placed her hand on Jaune's shoulder, but he quickly shrugged her off.

"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress anymore! I want to be the hero!"

"Jaune…"

"I'm so sick of being the lovable idiot stuck in the tree and getting kidnapped by Grimm while his friends fight for their lives. Don't you get it?! If I can't do this on my own, then what good am I?"

This time Natsu chose to step forward.

"It's ok to let people help you sometimes. You don't have to-"

"That's easy for you to say." The blonde interrupted. "You're already a hero. Saving everyone during the Initiation. Helping that girl in the cafeteria. Everyone already respects you. You have no idea what it's like on the other side."

"Jaune, that's not fair." Pyrrha chided. "We're only trying to help."

"I said I didn't want help. Just…just leave me alone, ok?"

Pyrrha watched Jaune turn his back on her again.

"If that's what you think is best." she accepted.

She walked back to the building with her head hung in shame.

"You're just going to let her go like that?" Natsu asked. "She was only trying to help you."

Jaune remained silent.

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Pyrrha, wait up!" The pinkette ran after her, leaving Jaune alone on the roof.

He walked around a bit - letting the scene replay in his mind - before he heard a familiar laugh coming from the edge of the roof.

"Oh, Jaune."

Just then, Cardin pulled himself up onto the roof.

"Cardin?!" Jaune shouted in surprise.

"I couldn't help but hear you guys from my dorm room." The bully smirked. "Can't believe you of all people snuck into Beacon. That's pretty hardcore."

"Please, Cardin, I'm begging you." Jaune pleaded. "You can't tell anyone. Please."

"Me tell on you? Come on, Jaune. You should know I'd never rat out a friend like that."

Jaune didn't know what to say. It was obvious that Cardin was lying, but he couldn't call him out on it.

"I'm…a friend?"

Cardin pulled him into a headlock.

"Of course you are, Jauney boy!" he said. "The way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a very long time."

He let Jaune go, dropping him to the ground as the boy caught his breath.

"Speaking of being there when I need you…I really don't feel like doing those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take of that for me, buddy?"

"Y-yeah." Jaune coughed. "Sure."

"That's what I thought. I knew I could count on you."

Cardin grinned maliciously as he climbed back down the side of the building. "Don't worry, buddy. Your secret is safe with me."

Jaune let out a deep sigh.

"What have I gotten myself into now?"

* * *

 **New chapter up! Not really much to say here in the way of new stuff. Added some more interactions and events in there and the idea of Natsu helping train Jaune seemed pretty fun to play around with. For those worried about the rest of Team CMSN, don't worry. They will be back next chapter. It's all about working them in there properly.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	9. Taking a Stand

_Everybody already respects you. You have no idea what it's like on the other side._

Those words had been keeping Natsu awake for the past few days.

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't think of a way to help Jaune with his troubles. Pyrrha was at a loss as well, but instead of trying to talk to him about it, she washed her hands of the situation altogether. The teammates hadn't spoken to one another in days.

To make matters worse, Jaune started hanging out with Team CRDL more than he did his own team. Doing their homework, holding doors open for them, running meaningless errands; it was obvious to everyone that Jaune was just their gopher, but for some reason he kept hanging out with them.

"There's gotta be something I can do." the pinkette mused.

"Having troubles?"

Natsu looked across the room. His eyes meeting Cinder's.

"Sorry. I couldn't help but overhear you talking to yourself."

Natsu sat up in his bed.

"No, it's my fault. Sorry for waking you."

"Don't be. I was having trouble sleeping anyway."

"Nightmare?"

"You could say that. Tell me what's on your mind."

Natsu and Cinder moved over to the wicker chairs located in the corner of their room, the latter lighting a candle and placing it on the round table between them. She then grabbed the tea kettle on the table and filled it with water. She then held the kettle to her leader.

"Would you mind?"

"Oh. Yeah." Natsu grabbed the bottom of the kettle and focused his energy. Slowly but surely the kettle started to heat up, when it started boiling he let go.

"Thank you."

Cinder poured a small amount of water into a ceramic cup.

"Would you care for some tea?"

"Sure. Thanks." Natsu accepted.

Cinder placed two tea bags in the cups and poured more water into them. Once that was finished she sat in the chair across from Natsu.

"We can talk while the tea finishes settling." she said. "Now, what has been keeping you up at night these past few days?"

"You noticed that?"

"It's hard not to when you constantly talked to yourself." Cinder grinned.

"Sorry."

"I'm only teasing you, leader. Now talk."

Natsu sighed. "It's this friend of mine. He's being bullied by this jerk, and I don't know how to help him."

"Are you referring to Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester?"

Natsu's widened eyes telegraphed his surprise. "Y-yeah. How did you know?"

"I've heard rumors around the school about the situation. Seems like quite a mess he's gotten himself into. From what I can tell Cardin is not one you can simply reason with."

"Yeah. I know." Natsu dropped his head down. "I don't know what to do about it though. Pyrrha and I tried to help Jaune by training him to get stronger, but he didn't want it. In fact he kinda just threw it back in our face."

"And that is why you're conflicted on what to do."

Cinder walked over to the table against the wall and grabbed the two cups of tea. She placed one before Natsu before sitting back down.

"Thanks, and yeah I guess so. I just wish there was some way we could help him."

"Have you ever considered that it is not your place to help?"

"What?" Natsu looked to Cinder with confusion.

She sat with her legs crossed, her pinky outstretched as she calmly sipped from her teacup. The moonlight made her red and black nightgown look even more elegant.

"You're strong, and with that strength comes a level of prestige that most cannot handle. Some – such as myself – respect your gifts, but there are just as many others – such as Cardin and even Jaune – who are either jealous or even afraid of your power."

"You saying that Jaune is afraid of me?"

"I see it more as jealousy. He wants what you have. The strength to stand up for himself and others like you do. He wishes to fight his bullies on even ground."

"That's why he should let us help him." Natsu argued.

"You would think so, but that is simply not how things work most of the time."

"What do you mean?"

"In this world, the strong live and the weak perish. That is no more evident than in high school. If you were to help Jaune, he would not become stronger, quite the opposite. He would only become weaker. He would think it best to cling to your side rather than stand and face his own problems. If you were to intervene, not only would Cardin's torment not stop, but it would escalate."

"I don't get it..."

"The answer me this, how would you feel if you were in Jaune's position and someone came to your rescue without your consent?"

Natsu thought of this for a moment. "I guess…I wouldn't like it."

"That is exactly the way Jaune is feeling now. If he wants to become stronger, then he has to find a way to solve this matter on his own."

Cinder finished her tea and placed the cup on the circular table between herself and Natsu.

"What if he can't do it on his own?"

"Then he will perish." Cinder stated simply. "That is the unfortunate fate of those unwilling to change themselves and become stronger."

"...I don't think Jaune is weak. He's a bit lost right now, but in the end I know he'll do the right thing."

A small grin appeared on Cinder's lips. "Only time will tell."

She rose from her seat and climbed back into bed.

"Good night, Leader."

"Night. Thanks again for the tea."

"You are very welcome."

Cinder nestled underneath her blanket and Natsu stared into his reflection in his tea.

While he didn't particularly agree with what Cinder said, he had to admit that she was right on some level. If he were in Jaune's place he wouldn't want help either. Even so he couldn't just sit back and do nothing while a friend was struggling.

"Is it really ok to just sit this one out?"

Natsu reached for his tea for the first time and took a sip. He almost retched at the taste, sticking his tongue out.

"Ew. It's bitter."

* * *

Pyrrha sat by the window in her team's room.

Looking out through the cracked curtains, the redhead couldn't help but be agitated. This was the third time that week that Jaune had been late returning home, and she knew the exact reason.

"Why does Jaune get home so late?" Nora innocently asked as she bounced up and down on her bed.

"Ever since he started fraternizing with Cardin and his friends he's become rather scarce." Ren answered while cleaning one of his guns.

"That's weird. He knows we have a field trip tomorrow, right? We need our rest."

Nora did a flip and landed on her back on the bed. Surprisingly this didn't break it.

"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing." Pyrrha said tensely.

Both Ren and Nora could clearly see Pyrrha's frustration, but they chose not to mention it.

"I guess so." Nora accepted.

Jaune heard the entire conversation from the hall. Disappointed in himself, he sighed and closed the door.

"Hey, Jaune!"

The blonde nearly jumped out his skin when he whipped around and saw Ruby standing behind him. Complete in her pajamas.

"Long time no see." The young girl greeted. "You lock yourself out again?"

"W-what? No. See?" He grabbed his scroll from his pocket and showed it to Ruby. "Got it right here."

"So where have you been lately?"

"I…uh…" Jaune stopped and took a deep breath. It was time to come clean. "I messed up. I did something I shouldn't have. Now Cardin's got me on a leash, Pyrrha won't talk to me, and Natsu looks like he wants to kick my butt every time I see him…I'm starting to think coming this school was a bad idea."

Jaune stepped back and slid down the door until he was seated on the ground.

"I'm a failure."

"Nope." Was Ruby's quick response.

"Nope?"

"Nope." She repeated. "You're a leader now, Jaune. That means you're not allowed to be a failure."

"But what if I'm a failure at being a leader?"

It took a few seconds for Ruby to think of an answer.

"Nope." She said a third time. She sat next to Jaune on the floor.

"You know you're not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff." He said.

"Nope. Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid."

The leader of Team JNPR sunk towards the ground at Ruby's words.

"You may have even been a failure the first day we met."

Jaune sunk lower.

"But you can't be one now. Wanna know why?"

"Because-"

"Because it's not just about you anymore." Ruby interrupted. "You gotta team now. We both do. So if we fail, it's not just us who go down. Our team falls down with us. Our teammates come first. Everything else is secondary. You've got a great team, and they deserve a great leader. I think that can be you."

With those words of encouragement spoken, Ruby stood up and walked back to her room.

"Have a good night, Jaune." She waved.

"Yeah. You too. Thanks, Ruby."

"Don't mention it."

When Ruby was gone, Jaune stood up and prepared himself to go in his room. Just then he heard his scroll ring. When he opened it up, he saw that he had a video message from Cardin. Reluctantly he pressed the play button.

"Hey it's your buddy Cardin. I know you're probably pretty busy with that Dust project I gave you a couple days ago, bu~t Imma need you to go out and get me a bag of rapier wasps."

"Guah." Jaune tensed at the request. Rapier wasps were known to be some of the most lethal bugs in all of Vale. One sting – in addition to hurting like nothing else – could leave a person bed-ridden from fever for almost a week.

"And make sure they've got some really big stingers. It's important. So don't screw this up."

The message ended and Jaune closed his scroll.

"Great." He sighed.

* * *

"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is beautiful but we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked that all of you collect samples from the trees in the forest, and I am here to make sure you don't die while doing so."

Glynda Goodwitch led teams RWBY, JNPR, CMSN, and CRDL through the lush forest of Forever Fall. As she described, the forest was quite breathtaking. It having earned the name "Forever Fall" because of the red leaves perpetually falling from the trees. Despite this, the trees were never barren. Not even in the winter when the leaves fell even more than usual.

Glynda stopped walking and faced her students. She then held up a jar full of some sort of red substance.

"Each of you is to gather one jar full of red sap from the trees." She explained. "But be wary, this forest is inhabited by creatures of Grimm. So be sure to stay close to your partner. We will rendezvous back here at 4 o'clock. Have fun."

Jaune – who was holding all of the supplies – started to follow his team before he was stopped by Cardin.

"Come on, buddy. Let's go."

Jaune and Pyrrha locked eyes for a moment. Pyrrha said nothing in that brief moment, but Jaune could read her thoughts all too well. With a sigh of regret he forced his head down and followed after Cardin. Pyrrha expelled a sigh as well – hers of exasperation – and followed Ren and Nora.

"I'm actually surprised you guys showed up for this." Yang said to Team CMSN. "I was starting to think you guys were only figments of my imagination."

"Did you miss me that much?" Mercury slyly asked.

"Give it a rest, Mercury." Emerald said with a roll of her eyes. She threw a jar at him. "Get to work."

"You don't have to be jealous, Emerald." He remarked. "There's plenty of me to go around."

"You keep talking and there will be none of you left to fill this jar."

"They seem to be enjoying themselves." Cinder said.

"Really? They look more like they're on the verge of fighting to me." Weiss contended.

"That's just how they've always been. Mercury can be a bit…"

"Annoying?"

"I was going to use the word 'forward'." Cinder tittered. "But he's harmless."

"I'll have to take your word for it."

Weiss grabbed her jar and moved over to the nearest tree. Cinder wasn't far behind.

"I've a question for you, Ms. Schnee. If you don't mind answering."

"Ok, and please call me Weiss. Ms. Schnee makes me feel like I'm at home again."

"Of course…Weiss. It's about your brother."

"Oh god, what did he do this time? He didn't destroy any of your belongings did he? I'll personally pay for any damages-"

"No. No. No. It's nothing like that. I was just wondering, has he always been…strong?"

"I'm not sure I understand the question."

"What he did during the Initiation, defeating the Nevermore and Death Stalker, has he always been capable of that?"

Weiss finished filling her jar while she thought of Cinder's question.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Even when we were children Natsu has always been stronger than the average person but even, I was surprised by what he did. It kind of scared me."

"I imagine it would. Power like that is not easily contained."

"Yeah…it isn't." Weiss slowly found herself wary of Cinder. For some reason the ash-black haired young woman was smiling. "Why do you want to know how strong Natsu is?"

"It's nothing bad if that's what you are thinking. It's strictly for team building purposes."

"Then why did you ask me and not Natsu? He is your leader after all."

"Something tells me he wouldn't have been completely honest if I asked him the same question. He's a tad braggadocious."

"Can't say I disagree with you there."

"I'll get out of your hair. Thank you for indulging me, Weiss."

"It was no problem."

Weiss watched with suspicion as Cinder walked over to Mercury and Emerald.

 _There is something off about that girl._

"Here you go."

Natsu gave Yang her jar of sap as he started to climb down from one of the trees.

"Thanks. Sorry you had to go all the way up there to get it."

"It wasn't a problem." Natsu said. "Climbing trees is good exercise."

"So how are things going with your team?"

"They're a little weird, but other than that I don't really have any complaints. Except for Mercury, that guy's complete jerk."

Yang giggled. "Yeah I think I figured that out already."

Natsu grabbed his jar and started to climb the tree again to fill it. When he was about half way up the trunk, Yang asked him a rather sudden question.

"What kind of girls are you in to?"

Natsu almost lost his grip on the tree.

"Huh?!"

"I asked what kind of girls you like. Tall? Short? Skinny? Fat? Or do you not like girls at all…"

"I like girls!" Natsu shouted, his cheeks turning red.

"Then what's your type?"

Natsu sat on one of the tree branches, scratching his chin in an attempt to think.

"I don't really have a type." He answered.

"Come on, every guy has a type. Do you like mysterious girls like Blake and Cinder? Crazy girls like Nora? Or do you like girls who act all high-and-mighty like Weiss? Though I guess that would be weird since she's your sister and all."

"Yeah."

"So…what's your type?"

"Where did this question even come from?"

"Nowhere. Just curious. Now quit stalling and tell me."

Natsu was cornered, he knew that no matter what Yang wouldn't let him go until he answered the question.

"Um…my type of girl is…"

He frantically looked around from the branch, desperately searching for a way out of this predicament. Just then he saw a familiar head of red hair.

"Pyrrha!"

Yang was surprised by this answer. "I didn't expect that, but I guess it makes sense. You guys do talk a lot."

"Pyrrha, over here!" Natsu waved.

Yang finally took notice of Pyrrha not too far away from them. The wheels started to turn in her head.

"Wait a minute…"

The redhead looked over to Natsu and Yang and waved back.

"Hello, you two!"

"You find any sap yet?!"

"No. It's proving much harder than I thought to find at tree with enough to fill the jar."

"Let me help you out."

"Thank you. I would appreciate that."

"Sorry, Yang, I gotta go. We'll catch up later, ok?" Natsu smiled at the blonde and leapt from the tree.

"Hold on!" the blonde shouted after him. "What about my question?! Come back here! Natsu!"

"Sorry, can't hear you! See ya later!" When Natsu reached Pyrrha he grabbed her wrist and started to run.

"Natsu, what's going on? Why are we running away? What question is she talking about?"

"I'll tell you later, but for now keep running and don't look back."

Natsu slid his hand down Pyrrha's wrist, unconsciously holding her hand in his. The redhead blushed.

"O-ok."

"He~y!" Yang shouted, as Natsu and Pyrrha disappeared further into the forest. "Dang it. He got away." She crossed her arms with a huff, but soon a playful grin pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"You won't get off the hook that easily."

* * *

Jaune lumbered back to where Team CRDL was sitting. Seven jars of red sap in his tired arms, the leader of Team JNPR placed the jars down onto the grass before falling over face first in exhaustion.

"Good work, Jauney boy. Now that wasn't so bad was it?" Cardin rhetorically asked with a smirk.

"I think…I'm allergic to this stuff." Jaune sniffed.

"Hey that's great. So I bet you're asking yourself: 'why did my friend Cardin ask me to gather seven jars of tree sap when there are only five of us?'. Right?"

"One of many questions I have asked myself today. Yes." Jaune nodded.

"Well come with me and you'll find out."

"Oh I don't like the sound of that."

Cardin led his team and Jaune to a hill overlooking another section of the forest. When Jaune looked down he saw the rest of the students – including Natsu and Pyrrha – all gathering sap. He stomach was starting to turn. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Cardin. What's going on?"

"Pay back." He slammed his fist on the grass in anger as his eyes focused on Natsu and Pyrrha – who were currently gathering sap together.

"There they are." Cardin pointed out. "The redheaded know it all and that pink-haired jerk." Cardin presented a box with a W written on the front. Rapier Wasps could be heard angrily buzzing about inside.

"Last night, Jaune here caught us a box full of angry Rapier Wasps. Now, we're gonna put them to work."

Jaune nervously laughed. The feeling in his stomach got worse.

"According to that essay he wrote for me last week, these little guys lo~ve sweets. So I think it's about time we show them a thing or two."

Cardin pulled Jaune to his feet and shoved the two extra jars of sap into his arms.

"And you're gonna be the one to do it, Jauney boy."

"Do what?" Jaune knew full well what Cardin was ordering him to do, but he couldn't help but ask.

Cardin pointed to Natsu and Pyrrha. "Hit them with the sap. If you don't, I'll have chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."

Jaune looked down at the jars in his hands. He was so focused on the ultimatum that Cardin had just handed him that he didn't realize he was being watched.

Emerald poked her head from behind the nearby tree on the hill.

"It looks like they want him to hit Natsu and Nikos with the sap before they sic the wasps on them." She turned to Cinder. "Should we intervene?"

"Not just yet."

Jaune looked up from the jars to Cardin and his team. As expected they were all smiling, each of them drunk off of the power Cardin held over Jaune. Conflicted, he readied the first jar for Pyrrha.

"Do it." Cardin ordered.

As Jaune watched Pyrrha and Natsu laugh and talk, he realized that this was wrong and he couldn't go through with it. He dropped his arm.

"No." he said resolute.

"He's not going through with it." Emerald reported.

Cinder smirked. "It seems our leader was right after all. Come, Emerald. I have an idea."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Cinder turned on her heels and walked down the hill. Emerald not far behind.

"I'm sorry I didn't get that." Cardin said to Jaune. "Care to repeat it?"

"I said no!" Jaune threw the jar away without looking. Unfortunately for him it hit Cardin.

"That was a big mistake, Jauney boy." Cardin chuckled ominously.

Jaune anxiously laughed as Sky and Dove grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close.

Pyrrha heard a rustling in the grass and looked to the hill behind her, but no one was there.

"You hear something?" Natsu asked.

"I thought I did…but I guess it was nothing."

Pyrrha heard a slurping sound. When she looked down, she noticed her jar was completely empty.

"Nora!" she shouted.

* * *

Cardin punched Jaune in the stomach, doubling him over on the ground. He lifted him by the collar and punched him - this time in the face - to the ground again.

"You know that wasn't very smart, Jaune." he said.

Cardin lifted the listless blonde into the air once more.

"I'm going to make sure they send you back home to mommy in little tiny pieces."

"I don't care…what you do to me." Jaune rasped. "But I will not let you mess with my team…or my friends."

"You, brat. You think you can talk to me like that and get away with it? Think you're tough? That you're a man now?"

Jaune's weak smile only angered Cardin more. He pulled back his hand for the final blow, but when his fist touched Jaune there was a blinding flash of white light. Cardin yelled in pain as Jaune fell to the ground; his wounds fully healed.

"What's going on?"

Jaune looked at his hands. They were glimmering white. He had little time to process this before Sky kicked him in the back.

"You got lucky." Cardin cracked his knuckles. "Now let's see how much of a man you really are."

Team CRDL prepared to beat Jaune into next week when a blood-curdling roar caught their attention. Out from the trees jumped an Ursa Major. Much bigger than its counterpart the Ursa Minor, the Ursa Major's main characteristics were its massive size – it was about twice as big as a Minor – and the multiple spikes protruding from its back.

The massive Grimm stood on its hind legs, its blood-red eyes piercing through the bodies of the frightened students in front of it. It sniffed the air, looking for the sweet scent that attracted it to this spot in the first place. It soon found the source; the dried red sap on Cardin Winchester's breastplate.

The beast roared again, its eyes now firmly fixed on Cardin.

The rest of his team ran away in fear, leaving him and Jaune alone with the hungry creature.

With one swing of its paw it knocked Cardin away, its nose still following the sweet smell on his chest.

"Was siccing that Ursa on them really the best thing to do?" Emerald asked Cinder. This time they observed the scene from a group of trees a small distance from where the Ursa was.

"That all depends on how things play out. Think of this as another test for the boy. If he is truly as strong as our leader believes him to be, then he will prevail."

"That thing could just as easily kill the both of them." Emerald pointed out.

"Either way it should be interesting."

Cardin tried to use his weapon to protect himself, but the Ursa easily slapped it away. The monster let out a third roar, this one echoing throughout the entire forest.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Ruby asked.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah and It didn't sound good."

Just then Team CRDL ran past.

"Ursa! Ursa!" Renton cried. Not looking where he was going, he bumped into Yang and fell to the ground.

"What?! Where?!" The blonde demanded, lifting him from the ground by his shirt collar.

"Back there!" he pointed. "It's got Cardin!"

Pyrrha dropped her jar in shock.

"Jaune!"

"Yang!" Ruby called. "You and Blake go get Professor Goodwitch!"

"Ren! Nora! You go with them!" Pyrrha ordered.

The pair readied their weapons.

"I'm going too!" Natsu declared. "Mercury! Wake up!"

The snoring member of Team CMSN snorted before quickly waking up at the base of a tree.

"Huh? What happened? Time to go yet?" he groggily asked.

"There's an Ursa out there! Find Emerald and Cinder and go to Professor Goodwitch, but be careful. There's probably more of them."

"You got it, boss man." Mercury yawned. "Have fun."

With that the three took off to find Jaune and Cardin.

* * *

Cardin tried desperately to get away from the Ursa but it was simply too fast for him. The monster blocked him off at every turn, its massive claws hitting him over and over again. His strength now gone, all Cardin could do was crawl.

"I can't get away." He wheezed.

Natsu, Pyrrha, and Ruby arrived at the scene – having found Weiss along the way and bringing her with them.

"He's arrived." Cinder said, her eyes focused on Natsu.

"Oh no." Pyrrha gasped.

The Ursa readied its paw for the final strike, but when it swung it was suddenly blocked by Jaune's shield.

Weiss prepared to attack with Myrtenaster, but Natsu stopped her.

"Hold on."

Jaune pushed the Ursa back, knocking it off balance. He then slashed it with his sword. The creature stumbled back a bit more before lunging forward with another attack, but Jaune managed to roll out of the way just in time.

He jumped over another swipe of claws, but was soon knocked back while in mid-air by the monster's follow-up attack. Jaune quickly recovered and ran forward with his sword ready to attack.

However he was quickly knocked away by the Ursa.

Jaune slowly rose to his feet, his eyes looking down to his scroll – which he placed on the back of his shield. Just like in sparring class his Aura was in the red. He knew what would happen if he took another hit from the Ursa, but he couldn't think of that right now. He had to save Cardin and himself.

 _Here goes nothing!_

Jaune raced to the rushing Ursa.

"He isn't intervening." Cinder noticed of Natsu. "Interesting."

"Natsu, we have to help him!" Weiss shouted.

"I said hold on!"

When he looked to Pyrrha she nodded and held up her hand. It started to glow with a black aura.

The Ursa stood on its hind legs, its mouth open and its roar loud as it prepared to strike down Jaune.

The blonde's shield was briefly covered in the same Aura that shrouded Pyrrha's arms as it rose up to deflect the Ursa's claw.

The monster now in his range, Jaune stomped his foot onto the ground and forced himself upward. His sword bit into the Ursa's neck, allowing him to cut its head off in one swing. Jaune landed on the ground triumphant, the Ursa's head and body falling in opposite directions behind him.

Pyrrha lowered her arm, much to the confusion of Ruby and Weiss.

"Wait…what?" Ruby questioned.

"How did you…?" Weiss trailed off.

"Well Ruby has her speed and you have your Glyphs. My semblance, is polarity." Pyrrha revealed.

"Whoa." Ruby gasped. "You can control poles…"

"No, you dunce." Weiss chided. "It means she can control magnetism."

"Magnets are cool too."

"Yep. That's my partner for you." Natsu nodded with a wide smile.

"You knew the entire time didn't you?" His sister accused.

"Of course I did. I would be a pretty terrible partner if I didn't." Natsu reasoned. "You ready to go, Pyrrha?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Wait. Going where?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah. We should at least tell them what happened." Ruby voiced.

"We could do that…" Pyrrha smiled when she watched Jaune sheathe his sword. "Or we could keep it our little secret. Natsu?"

"Right behind ya."

The two walked away. Ruby and Weiss joining soon after.

Jaune walked over to Cardin and offered him a hand. The bully took it and was pulled to his feet.

'Holy crap, Jaune. That was-"

"I didn't save you because we like you or because we're 'friends'." Jaune interrupted. "I did it because it was the right thing to do. Don't ever mess with my friends again. Got it?"

He tightened his grip on Cardin's hand to show he was serious. He then let go and walked away, leaving the bully to think about his actions.

"There you guys are." Mercury said, having finally caught up to Cinder and Emerald. "Anything fun happen?"

"No. it was a bust." Emerald sighed.

"I wouldn't say this experiment was a complete waste." Cinder said.

"What do you mean?"

Cinder watched Pyrrha and her group shrink in the distance.

"All will be revealed in due time." She smirked.

* * *

Jaune stood on the roof of the dorm overlooking the school grounds as the moonlight illuminated the darkness. He didn't really know why he had come up here, but something urged him to do so. As he waited for some sort of sign, he heard a pair of footsteps approach him.

"No Cardin tonight?"

"Yeah. That's weird. I thought you guys were 'best friends'."

Jaune turned his head, his eyes falling on the smiling faces of Natsu and Pyrrha.

"Guys…I'm sorry." Jaune apologized. "You were only trying to help…but I just threw it back in your face because of all of this macho garbage in my head and-"

"Jaune." Pyrrha interrupted. "It's ok. We're not mad at you."

"Yeah." Natsu smiled. "All is forgiven. Besides I should apologize too. I should have tried to understand things from your side instead of trying to butt in."

"No it was all my fault." Jaune said. "I was being a jerk."

"We both were." Natsu smiled.

"Your team really misses their leader, you know." Pyrrha said to Jaune.

"And I miss my partner." Natsu added.

"Partner?" Jaune repeated.

"Yeah. Ozpin said that whoever you met in the forest during the Initiation was your partner for the next four years, right? That means the three of us are partners until we graduate."

"But…we're on different teams." Jaune reminded.

Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "So? Weiss and I are on different teams, but she's still my sister."

"I don't think that's the same thing, Natsu." Pyrrha giggled.

"It's not?"

"I think it's about time we head back and eat."

Pyrrha walked to the roof door.

"Ren made pancakes. You can join us as well if you wish, Natsu."

"Awesome! I'm starving!" The pinkette followed her to the door.

"I have to warn you though. We don't have any syrup. You can thank Nora for that."

Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind as long as you guys have butter."

"I'll have to check but I'm sure we-"

"Wait!" Jaune cried out.

Natsu and Pyrrha stopped and faced him.

"I…I know I don't deserve it after everything that happened, but…would you two still be willing to help me? I want to become a better fighter."

Natsu and Pyrrha exchanged satisfied grins before walking back to Jaune. Pyrrha then pushed her leader to the ground.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Your stance is all wrong." Pyrrha lectured.

"Your way too high up and too close together." Natsu added. "You need to widen your legs and get closer to the ground."

They both offered their hands to Jaune and he took them.

"Let's try that again." Pyrrha smiled.

"Ready?" Natsu asked.

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah."

* * *

 **New chapter is up! I've been so swamped with work lately so I haven't been able to write as much as I want. Still I guess it's a good thing I finished this chapter about a week ago before things got too heavy.**

 **That being said, I'm going to go off the beaten path a bit for the next chapter. Try and deviate from canon just a bit more, otherwise this series is just going to be a line for line rehashing of the show with just the addition of Natsu in it, and that can get boring very quickly. I want to add more characters in that normally don't show up until later. Explore more of the world of RWBY.**

 **Also Team CMSN will start to get a little more prominent if this chapter was any indication.**

 **PS: I know some of you reviewing don't like Jaune. That's understandable, but I just want to let ya'll know that I'm keeping him around. He's honestly one of my favorite characters. Sorry if that upsets you.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think and thanks for reading! :)**


	10. Extra-Curricular Assignment

"You really wanna do this?"

"Quit stalling, pinkie. The sooner I kick your butt the better."

Natsu sat down in front of Yang, placing his elbow on the table.

"Ok. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"That's the spirit. Take your beating like a man."

Yang grabbed Natsu's hand.

"You gonna keep making fun of me, or are you ready to do this?"

"I can do both." Yang smirked.

It was another day at Beacon Academy. Morning classes were over and lunch time had come. Still feeling slighted from Natsu's avoiding of her question in Forever Fall forest a few days ago, Yang challenged the male heir of the Schnee family to an arm wrestling contest as retribution.

"Don't forget our deal. If I win, you answer my question." The blonde reminded.

"Yeah I know, and remember if I win you'll quit bothering me about it."

"Don't worry. After I beat you I won't ask again."

"Is this really necessary?" Weiss sighed. "I was hoping we could have a peaceful, normal lunch period for once."

"Oh don't be a stick in the mud, Weiss." Ruby said. "This is going to be fun."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed. "I wonder who is going to win. Smart money is on Natsu."

"I wouldn't be so quick t discount Yang." Ren said.

"50 Lien on Yang!" Nora exclaimed, holding up her money like a compulsive gambler.

"This should prove to be quite entertaining." Pyrrha said with a smile.

"Are you two ready?" Blake asked as she held Natsu and Yang's hands.

Both combatants nodded. Natsu felt Yang's grip on his hand tighten. He was never one to take an opponent lightly, but he found himself on especially high alert when it came to Yang. The two never battled one on one, but they had seen enough of each others skills during combat class. It was safe to assume that Yang had made Natsu's rival list - right under Pyrrha.

"On three." Blake said. "One…two…three!"

Once she let go the battle began.

Natsu and Yang pushed with all they had, but so far neither of them budged. As they fought for dominance, their friends cheered them on.

"Go, Natsu!" Pyrrha cheered. "Focus and you will prevail!"

"You've got this, Yang!" Ruby shouted. "Give it all you got! You're representing Team RWBY!"

"This is ridiculous." Weiss turned her back to the contest, but when she saw Natsu start to struggle she quickly turned around. "What are you doing, Natsu?! You'd better not lose!"

"I thought you didn't care." Blake reminded.

Weiss huffed and turned back around, a touch of red on her cheeks. "I don't. It's just that no matter how trivial they may be, we Schnee's excel in all contests we participate in."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Ri~ght."

"Getting tired yet?" Yang taunted.

"Nope." Natsu replied with a grin. He flexed his bicep - his grip tightening - and he began to push. Within moments his arm began to bend back Yang's.

The blonde desperately tried to reclaim her position, but her pink-haired opponent was too strong.

"You've almost got her! Keep going!" Jaune shouted to Natsu.

"Come on, Yang! I bet good money on you!" Nora yelled in frustration. "You better win!"

"Calm down." Ren said.

"Ready to give up?" Natsu grinned at Yang.

"No!" the blonde shouted defiantly. "It's not…over!"

Just before her knuckles touched the top of the table, an announcement came over the intercom.

"Attention. Will Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and Natsu Schnee please report to Professor Ozpin's office? Again, Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and Natsu Schnee please report to Professor Ozpin's office. Thank you."

"Why does he want to see us?" Jaune asked.

Ruby shrugged. "How should I know?"

"Natsu, what did you do?" Weiss growled.

"I didn't do anything! I swear!" Natsu defended, his body shaking in fear at the icy stare emanating from his sister.

Yang noticed that Natsu's grip started to slack. Using this opening, she gathered all of her strength and forced Natsu's arm into the table in one powerful motion. The impact broke the table in half; the crash echoing through the cafeteria and ceasing all conversation. When the dust settled, Natsu laid in the broken heap with widened eyes and a slightly sore arm. Yang shot up from her seat in excitement, flexing her bicep in triumph.

"I won! Told you I was too strong for ya!"

"Yang did it!" Nora shouted with glee. "How much did I win?!"

"…50 Lien." Ren answered. "No one else bet money."

"Wooo!"

"No fair!" Natsu yelled from his back. "You cheated! The speaker distracted me!"

"That's your problem not mine, and I didn't cheat. How rude. I merely saw an opening and took it. That's the first rule of battle."

"I want a rematch!"

"Nope. One is all you get. Just accept your loss like a man."

"Why you-"

Suddenly Ruby pulled Natsu to his feet. "Come on. We have to go see what Professor Ozpin wants."

"But my rematch-"

"You can get it later! We gotta go!" Ruby pulled Natsu by the arm out of the cafeteria.

"Hold on, guys!" Jaune shouted as he ran after them.

"Your brother sure is a sore loser." Yang said to Weiss.

The heiress looked down at the broken table.

"I do hope you know that I am not cleaning this up."

"Well someone certainly is."

The voice of Glynda Goodwitch shook Teams RWBY and JNPR to their core. They turned to face her, each swallowing the lump in their throats as they stared into her irritated eyes. The slap of the riding crop in her palm stopped their beating hearts.

* * *

When Natsu, Ruby, and Jaune entered the Headmaster's office, they saw an unfamiliar girl next to his desk.

She had short dark brown hair with a curl down the side that lightened in color to caramel. Her outfit was a mix of black and light browns and she was covered in accessories. In addition to the beret on her head and shades – which she kept on indoors for some reason – she also wore a belt made of bullet casings with crosshairs for a buckle, numerous necklaces, and a bracelet with black roses on it. The final piece of her ensemble was a black shoulder bag with gold studs that used a bandolier as a strap.

"You wanted to see us, sir?" Ruby asked Ozpin - trying to keep her eyes away from the stranger.

"Yes, Ms. Rose, I did. Thank you for coming."

"These the ones, Professor?" the mysterious girl asked.

"They are." Ozpin nodded. "What do you think?"

The girl lifted her shades, revealing her dark brown eyes to the trio. She circled around them, remaining silent as she visually examined them – taking the most time to look over Natsu. After about a minute or so she pulled down her shades and returned to Ozpin's desk.

"I'm not impressed." She finally said. "You sure these three are really leadership material?"

"Hey!" Ruby shouted in offense.

"Who are you anyway?" Jaune asked.

"Forgive me for not saying something sooner. This is Coco Adel." Ozpin introduced.

"Nice to meet ya." The girl waved.

"She is a second year student here at Beacon, and the leader of Team CFVY (Coffee)."

"Team CFVY?" Natsu replied with a tilt of his head.

"Oh I've heard of them!" Ruby spoke up. "They're like the strongest team in the Academy, right?!"

"I don't like to brag, but we are pretty good." Coco boasted.

"So what are **we** doing here?" Jaune asked.

"You three undergoing a course headed by Ms. Adel to test your leadership skills." Ozpin explained.

"Our leadership skills?" Jaune questioned.

"What for?" Natsu asked. "We do something wrong?"

"I assure you this is not a punishment Quite the contrary. Think of it as an extra-curricular assignment." Ozpin said. "I think some time with someone as experienced as Ms. Adel will help each of you grow as leaders. An obstacle course has been set up in the Emerald Forest. Designed to test each of your abilities."

"But what about our classes?" Ruby asked.

"No need to worry about that. You won't leave until Friday evening. None of your classes will be affected. However it will be up to you to inform your respective teammates of the situation. Understood?"

The trio – while still confused about the entire situation – all nodded.

"Awesome." Coco stepped forward. "We'll meet in front of the statue in the courtyard at dusk on Friday. Don't be late. Got it?"

With that the trio were dismissed from the office.

"Do you really think this is a good idea, Professor?" Coco asked. "There are way better kids to pick from."

"Perhaps, but I see the most potential in those three. So don't go easy on them."

Coco smirked and fixed her sunglasses. "I don't know the meaning of the word."

* * *

The days came and went and the first year students found themselves standing in front of the school statue Friday evening, awaiting their instructor.

"We've been here forever." Jaune sighed. "Where is she?"

"I'm pretty sure dusk was three hours ago." Ruby pointed. "Look. The sun's already set."

"I'm tired of waiting!" Natsu roared. "I'm going back home!"

Just as the frustrated pinkette started to make his way back to the dorms, a voice called out to the trio.

"You guys actually showed up! Nice!"

The exhausted students watched Coco Adel finally make her appearance, running up to them from the left of the statue.

"Sorry I'm late." She apologized with a grin. "My favorite clothing store was having its end of season sale, and I just had to get there before all the good stuff was gone."

 _Is she serious?_ Jaune thought.

 _What is wrong with her?_ Natsu added.

 _This won't end well._ Ruby fretted.

"Well don't just stand there." Coco said. "Let's get going. The sun's already set."

She started to walk in the direction of the forest, Ruby and the boys gingerly following behind.

"Are we really going to be ok?" Ruby asked her friends

* * *

A loud whistle woke Natsu with a start the next morning. He jumped in fright, his body getting tangled in his tent in the process. After about a minute or so of struggling - and profanity - he managed to free himself and poked his head out. He saw Coco standing over him, a wide smile on her face, and a whistle in her hand.

"Welcome to the world of the living, sleepy head." she said. "Now that you're awake we can get this party started."

Natsu – still groggy and cranky – turned his head to see Ruby and Jaune. They were standing next to him fully dressed, but just like Natsu they were not fully awake.

Coco blew her whistle again. "Get moving! We don't have all day!"

"R-right!"

Natsu zoomed out of his tent and in a matter of seconds returned to the campsite fully dressed. He stood at attention next to a now fully awakened Jaune and Ruby.

Coco started pacing back and forth in front of the first years. "Alright, maggots! Ozpin has given me the job of assessing your skills to see if you're good enough to lead your teams. As such this entire day is dedicated to testing your fighting skills as well as your ability to think and lead your teams in dangerous situations."

Ruby raised her hand. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What happens if we fail the course?"

Coco pondered this question for a minute. "He didn't really tell me. You'll probably just stop being leaders…or get kicked out of the school. Not sure which."

"Kicked out of school?!" Jaune shouted.

"That's not fair!" Natsu argued.

"Hey don't yell at me. I don't make the rules." Coco said. She didn't seem too affected by the information she just gave. "First things first. I want you guys to give me ten laps around the forest."

"The whole thing?" Jaune inquired.

"Of course not. That would take forever. There's a path set up over there."

Coco motioned to an arrow not far from camp that pointed into the forest.

"After each lap you'll drop and give me ten push-ups. Sound good? Now go!"

The three started on their run. Once they were gone, Coco sat on a rock and opened her scroll. Sorting through her messages she found one from Velvet Scarlatina that read: **Please don't be too hard on him! He's nice!**

Coco grinned.

* * *

"Do you really think Professor Ozpin will kick us out if we fail this course?" Jaune asked Ruby.

"I don't know. I hope not. I really like being here."

"Me too."

The two watched Natsu's back shrink further and further in the distance. From the start of the run he had a commanding lead over his friends, and he showed no signs of slowing down any time soon.

"Does he ever run out of energy?" Jaune asked.

"I don't think so." Ruby giggled.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Natsu yelled.

After a few minutes Natsu returned to the campsite. When Coco saw him she stood up.

"First one back. Nice. Can't say I wasn't expecting that. Now drop and give me ten."

"Right."

Natsu fell to the ground and did ten quick push-ups.

"Nice form." Coco complimented.

"Thanks." Natsu got to his feet. "I train a lot."

She pointed her thumb to the arrow. "Keep going. Only nine more to go."

"Yes, ma'am!" Natsu ran off.

When he reentered the forest, Ruby and Jaune appeared at the campsite.

"What took you guys so long?" Coco asked sarcastically. "Pinkie has already started his second lap. Drop and give me ten."

The pair did their push-ups – though not as quickly as Natsu. Just as they stood up to start their second lap, Natsu arrived.

"Hey, guys! What's up?" He smiled. Without missing a beat he dropped and did his push-ups. Ruby and Jaune were astonished at how durable he was. He didn't look the slightest bit winded. He finished his push-ups and stood up.

"He's gonna completely lap you two at this rate." Coco commented.

"What are you standing around for? Let's go."

Natsu started running back into the forest, Ruby and Jaune reluctantly following.

After about thirty or so minutes, the first phase of the course was complete. Natsu looked none the worse for wear, but his friends were another story. Ruby heaved heavy, exhausted breaths as she sat on the ground, and Jaune's face had been buried in the dirt ever since his last push-up. If it weren't for his pained groan when Coco tapped her foot against his ribs, they would have thought he was dead.

Coco clapped her hands together. "Alright, kids, you did good. Next exercise."

"Can we…rest…for a minute?" Ruby huffed.

"No can do. Now stand up."

Ruby and Jaune groggily rose to their feet.

"Show me your semblances." Coco ordered.

Natsu held out his hand. He started to gather energy, and in a matter of seconds his hand was ignited in pure red-orange flames.

"Whoa." Coco said with intrigue. "I've never seen a Semblance like that before."

"That's not all I can do."

Natsu walked over to the site where the campfire was. The smoke was still rising, which meant that heat had not completely left the wood. He grabbed a nearby stick and spun it to create a spark. After a few seconds of fanning the embers, the flame reignited. He then poked a stick around in the fire to light himself a torch.

"Not sure I get what's going on." Coco said.

"Watch this." Natsu stuck the torch his mouth and pulled out a clean stick. "Tada."

Coco started to clap. "That's pretty cool. I thought that kind of stuff was only at the circus. Alright, Red. Your turn." Coco turned to Ruby.

Ruby flashed a confident grin.

"Hang onto your shades!"

With a huge gust of wind the young leader of Team RWBY was gone, leaving behind a trail of rose petals. She returned just as quickly as she left, holding some flowers from an area almost a mile away from them.

"Super speed. Nice." Coco complimented. "What's with the petals though?"

Ruby cocked her head to the side. "Actually I don't know. That's just always happened when I used my semblance."

"Weird. Ok, Goldilocks. You're last. Show us what you got."

"I…um…I don't have a semblance." Jaune admitted.

There was a brief silence.

"Well that's disappointing. Don't feel too bad. Not everybody is cut out for it." Coco smiled. "Show me your weapons."

Everyone did as they were told and showed the upperclassman their weapons. Coco looked over all of them carefully.

"You guys have names for these things?"

"Crescent Rose." Ruby said proudly as she held up her scythe.

"Crocea Mors." answered Jaune.

"Black Summer." Natsu said last.

"Black Summer?" Ruby questioned.

"Yeah. My name means summer, and my weapon is black. So I thought it was an easy name to make. You don't like it?"

"No it's not that. It's just I've never heard the name of your weapon before."

"My older sister wanted me to name them 'Gilded Summer', but I think my name sounds cooler." Natsu smiled.

"That's enough chitchat." Coco said. She pointed to a group of straw dummies set up near camp. "Show me what they can do."

Ruby stepped up first. She swung around Crescent Rose with her usual gracefulness, slicing into all of the dummies with little difficulty. When she was done she jumped back. Crescent Rose changed into its sniper form when she landed, and she shot each of the dummies in the head dead center. When she stood up and turned her back to the dummies, they burst apart.

"Impressive." Coco nodded. "Next."

"I guess it's my turn." Jaune reluctantly stepped forward.

When he drew his sword, the sheath expanded into a shield. He took a deep breath then launched himself towards the second set of dummies. His movements were kind of clumsy and awkward, but he still succeeded in slicing through the mannequins with his blade. When he was done he sheathed his sword and returned to the group.

"Not bad. Your turn, pinkie."

Natsu internally grumbled at being called out of his name, but he walked to the last set of dummies nonetheless. He clenched his fists and Black Summer fully formed over his arms. When he was ready he launched forward and scorched the dummy in front of him to ash. Without losing focus he immediately moved to the dummy on the right and did the same thing. In rapid succession he destroyed all of the dummies, but he wasn't finished. He jumped back and held out his arms.

Black Summer reformed into arm cannons and Natsu fired, destroying the entire training area in one burst of flame.

"Kind of overkill don't you think?" Ruby nervously tittered when Natsu returned.

"I like to finish strong." The pinkette smiled.

"I think I get it now." Coco suddenly said.

"Get what?" Ruby prompted.

"You guys need a lot of work."

"Huh?" the three questioned.

"Red. You're fighting style is pretty to look at, but you don't really look at what you're doing. See? You sliced down at least four trees when you were twirling around."

Ruby looked back to the – now destroyed – training area. Just as Coco said, a few of the tress had been chopped down by her scythe strikes.

"Sorry." She anxiously giggled.

"You have be able to look where your team is so you can coordinate properly." Coco moved to Jaune next. "Goldilocks, you overthink things when you fight and that makes you sloppy. It's like you're expecting your opponent to wait for you to finish thinking before they attack. That and your stance is way off."

"I'm still learning." Jaune muttered.

"Might wanna try a little harder. Taking too long to make decisions in battle could get you and your team killed." Finally she reached Natsu. "And, Pinkie…you like to leap before you look. That and you're a bit of a show-off."

"Hey!" Natsu shouted in offense.

"You look like the kind of guy who doesn't care about his own well-being as long as everyone else is safe…am I right?"

"I don't know…I mean I'd rather try and get things done quick than fight for too long."

"Add impatient to that that list of faults. You can't just go into every fight guns, or rather cannons blazing in your case. Some fights you need to think about just a little - but not too much - before running into them headfirst. If you run into a fight like a madman, then your team is going to follow. That could lead to all sorts of trouble. Trust me I know."

The trio started to sulk.

"Don't get gloomy on me. I'm supposed to teach you guys how to be better leaders, so that's what I'm going to do. Follow me."

The group walked further into the forest.

"I was wondering, what kind of weapon do you use, Coco?" Ruby asked.

The leader of Team CFVY stopped and turned around. She flashed the trio a cocky smirk as she looked over the rim of her glasses.

"You wanna see it?"

"Yes?" Ruby hesitantly answered.

Coco grabbed the handle of her hand bag and held it to the first years. "Here it is."

"But how is that-"Jaune started.

"Wait for it."

The bag opened up, forming into a massive Gatling gun.

"Pretty cool right?"

"That is so awesome!" Ruby gasped with stars in her eyes.

"That thing is huge!" shouted Natsu.

"How do you carry that thing around all the time?" Jaune questioned.

The Gatling gun folded back into its handbag form. "Wanna try it?"

She handed the bag to the blonde. As soon as Coco let go, both the bag and Jaune crashed to the ground.

"Jaune, are you ok?!"

Ruby and Natsu ran to his side.

Coco walked over and reclaimed her bag, lifting it from Jaune as if it weighed nothing at all.

"That answer your question?"

"Super-strength…got it." Jaune groaned.

When he was back to his feet, the group walked some more, soon arriving in another clearing. This one had a large obstacle course set up with tire swings, ropes, and various other training equipment. A bit further away there were cardboard cut outs of Grimm and crudely drawn people.

"You guys are going to go through this thing and meet me back here. Then we'll move on to the next area. Ok?"

The first years nodded and proceeded to the obstacle course. They completed it in relatively quick fashion – barring Natsu nearly throwing up on the tire swings and Jaune getting tangled up in the ropes of the ladderf – and returned to Coco. They then followed her to the area where the cut outs were placed.

"Now we're going to go through a couple of different leadership scenarios. As you can see, these Grimm are surrounding two groups of people: a married couple and their child, and an elderly couple. You and your team only have time to rescue one group: which one do you pick?"

"The married couple, right?" Jaune spoke up.

"Why is that?" Coco questioned.

"Because they have a kid. It's more important to get children out of a situation like that."

"What about the old couple? Are their lives less important than a child's?" Coco argued. "They could be someone's grandparents."

"I know, but-"

"Then we save the old couple." Ruby answered.

"And leave the child and their parents to die? I didn't know were so cruel, Red." Coco retorted.

Ruby sunk her shoulders in shame. "I didn't mean…"

"It doesn't matter which one we pick, does it?" Natsu realized. "Either way someone is going to die."

"Bingo." Coco accepted.

"I know…" Ruby said sadly. "I was trying not to think about it."

"Why did you give us this scenario?" Jaune asked.

"Because you guys need to learn that sometimes you don't always win. You just survive. Not everyone is going to get out alive. We save as many people as we can out there, but that doesn't always mean all of them. As a leader it's your responsibility to make those tough calls."

"Have you ever had to make a choice like that?" Ruby asked.

"Once…"

"Do you think about what would happened if things were different?"

There was a pause before Coco answered.

"Every day, but in the end I made that decision and stuck by it."

"Why does it have to be like that?" Natsu questioned. "I thought Hunters and Huntresses were supposed to help people. How does letting them die do that?"

"I already told you." Coco said. "We save as many as we can. That's just how things are."

"I don't wanna believe that."

"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. That's how the world is, and you being naïve only causes more problems, kid."

Before Natsu could retort there was a rustling in the bushes. Out jumped an Ursa Major, its fangs bared and oozing with drool as its blood red eyes stared at the humans.

"Where did that thing come from?!" Jaune shouted.

"It must have been following us." Coco said. She readied her weapon and the Ursa roared again.

In response more Grimm appeared from the forest, each of them waiting to have a bite of the prey in front of them.

"Looks like it called some friends." Natsu equipped Black Summer. Ruby and Jaune followed suit with their own weapons.

The first years charged the Grimm, slashing and blasting their way through the monsters while Coco stayed back and fired her gatling gun. After a few minute or so the Beacon students gained the upper hand…that is until more Grimm arrived.

A Nevermore swooped down, almost taking Coco with it when it arced back into the air. The stylish upperclassman held onto her hat and watched the Nevermore return to its flock – there were at least five of them. She fired into the air, cutting down all of the monsters.

"Keep fighting!" she shouted to the others while she reloaded. "We got them on the ropes!"

The fighting raged on for a little over an hour, but no matter how many Grimm the students defeated, two more took their place. Things were looking bleak and the group was starting to get tired. Soon they were surrounded on all sides, standing back to back as the Grimm drew closer.

"Where are these things coming from?" Jaune huffed.

"The barrier around the place must have weakened." Coco answered.

"What are we going to do?" Ruby asked, clutching Crescent Rose firmly. "There's too many of them to beat on our own."

"We keep fighting." Natsu said. "It'll take way more than these crappy monsters to take me down."

"You three need to fall back." Coco said.

"What?!" shouted Natsu in disbelief.

"We can't leave you behind." Jaune said.

"Yeah." Ruby nodded.

"Us dying here together isn't any better. Go back to the school and tell Ozpin what's happening. I'll hold them off. Don't worry, I'll catch up."

"I'm not buying that." Natsu argued. "We're not leaving you."

"Listen to your elders!" Coco shouted. "That is an order, not a request. You guys are my responsibility and I'm not going to make the same mistake again! Fall back and get Ozpin." "

Coco loaded her gun and fired behind her, creating a path for the others to escape.

"This is last time I'll tell you. Now go!" she shouted.

With heavy hearts the first years did as they were told and left through the path Coco created. When they were out of sight, Coco faced the encroaching Grimm.

"Alright, you ugly creeps, let's dance!" Coco pulled the trigger, but nothing came out. "Don't tell me I'm out of ammo already!" She squeezed the trigger a couple more times, only to hear the clicking of her barrels rotating. "Dammit."

Coco looked up, narrowly avoiding the swiping claws of a Beowolf. She jumped back towards the awaiting mouth of an Ursa, but used the side of her Gatling gun to block the monster's teeth and leap behind it. She then kicked it into a few of the monsters.

"This is going to be harder than I thought."

Two of the Beowolves rushed Coco, their claws ready to strike. The upperclassman blocked with her weapon, but the force of the blows still sent her flying into a nearby tree. She fell to the ground, her gun changing back into a hand bag as it flew out of her hand. She tried to go after it, but collapsed as soon as she got to her feet. Her ankle was broken.

"I can't move."

As the Grimm bared down on her once more, Coco looked down at her hands. They were shaking. Just like back then. Despite her fear, she found a way to muster a rueful smile.

"Sorry, guys. Guess I won't be catching up after all."

Just then a blast of fire scorched one of the Ursa, quickly followed by a wall of flame that separated Coco from the beasts.

"What the-"

"You alright?!"

Coco watched Natsu, Ruby, and Jaune ran and stopped in front of her.

"I thought I told you to go back to the school."

"You did, but we decided to come back." Natsu retorted.

"We may not be the best people to lead a team…" Ruby began. "But we do know one thing…"

"You never leave a man behind." Jaune finished.

As Coco looked at their smiling faces, she couldn't help but smirk. "You first years sure are full of yourselves."

"We get it from our upperclassmen." Natsu returned.

Jaune helped Coco to her feet, her arm draped over his shoulder.

"Ok, hotshot. How do you propose we get out of this mess?" Coco asked. "There are still way more of them than there are us."

"Jaune's gonna take you back to the school so you can get your leg healed." said Natsu.

"And what are you gonna do? That wall of fire isn't going to stay up forever." When Coco saw Natsu's confident grin her eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me **you're** gonna try and hold them off."

"Ok then I won't." retorted Natsu.

"How is that any different than what I did earlier?!"

"Well for starters I'm not doing this on my own. Ruby is going to help me. Right, Rubes?"

"Yep!" The leader of Team RWBY chirped, as she cocked Crescent Rose..

"Also, I have a secret weapon."

"A secret weapon?" Coco repeated. "What kind of secret weapon?"

Natsu rubbed his index finger under his nose and smiled wide. "Glad you asked. Ruby?"

The hooded girl took out her rifle magazine, pulled out a red dust crystal, and handed it to Natsu.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

"A dust crystal?" Coco questioned. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Just watch."

Natsu opened his mouth and ate the crystal. This action rightfully surprised Coco.

"What the-did you just eat dust?! Are you insane?!"

"Probably." Natsu burped a small flume of fire and suddenly his body was engulfed in flames. When they subsided he felt himself swelling with newfound energy. "I'm all fired up now! Ready, Ruby?"

Ruby reloaded her rifle. "Let's do this."

"Jaune, we're counting on you." Natsu said. "Make sure Coco makes it back to the school. We'll meet you when we're done here."

"You got it." Jaune nodded and started to walk away with Coco.

"You two better make it back!" she shouted.

Natsu and Ruby flashed her toothy grins and looked back at the wall of fire. When it fell, Natsu and Ruby were face to face with the horde of Grimm.

Natsu equipped Black Summer as Ruby readied her scythe.

"So…" the pinkette started.

"Who's first?" Ruby finished.

Jaune and Coco approached the campsite not long after leaving Natsu and Ruby.

"Those idiots." Coco grimaced. "We shouldn't have left them back there."

Just then an explosion rocked the area.

Coco and Jaune looked back the way they came. The former's eyes went wide when she saw a tornado of flames rising into the sky.

"I think they can handle themselves just fine." Jaune grinned.

* * *

Coco sat in one of the beds of the spacious academy infirmary. Looking out at the moon through the window, her mind floated around the random thoughts in her head. She quickly came back to reality when the door opened.

In stepped Natsu, Ruby, and Jaune.

"Surprised to see you three here." Coco smirked.

The trio pulled up chairs to their upperclassman's bedside.

"How are you feeling?" Ruby asked.

"I've been better. Doc said that I broke my ankle in two places. I have to wear this dumb thing for a couple of months." Coco pointed to the cast around her left ankle. "It is so not stylish. I won't be able to wear any of my boots."

"At least your sense of humor wasn't broken." Jaune laughed.

"Who said I was joking? This is serious. Anyway why are you three here? Don't tell me you came to sign my cast."

"Oh can we?!" Ruby gasped.

"…No." Coco deadpanned.

"Aw man."

"We just wanted to tell you that Professor Ozpin found out why there were so many Grimm in the forest." Jaune reported. "There was a hole in the security network."

"Of course there was." Coco sighed.

"They fixed it though, so there shouldn't be any more huge Grimm hordes in the forest." Natsu said.

"At least something good came out of this. I should apologize to you guys."

"For what?" Ruby asked.

"I tried to play the martyr, and all I got for it was a broken ankle. My underclassman had to come save my butt. How embarrassing is that?" she laughed at herself.

"That's not embarrassing at all." Ruby said.

"Everybody needs help from time to time." Jaune said, reflecting on his own learned lessons.

"I mean yeah we're your underclassmen, but we're all Beacon Academy students." Natsu smiled. "We have to look out for each other. Doesn't matter what year we are. We're all one big team."

Coco smirked. "You're right. Guess I kinda forgot that."

"Coco…" Ruby spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Back in the forest…you said you 'weren't going to make the same mistake again'…what did you mean by that?"

Coco's energy dipped, and her smirked slowly formed into a frown.

"I-if you don't want to tell us it's ok!" Ruby backtracked.

"Yeah! We didn't mean to upset you!" Jaune added.

"It's ok." Said Coco. "I brought it up. So it's only fair I explain." She took a deep breath. "Not long after I became leader of Team CFVY, we were sent on a mission to investigate a bunch of Grimm related disturbances outside of Vale. We were sent with a team of upperclassmen, but since I knew the area I was made the leader of the expedition.

Long story short we got in over our heads and were ambushed by some Ursai while trying to evacuate the town nearby. There were so many of them...and my team was already gone. When I was face to face with the Grimm, I froze. My body wouldn't stop shaking. There had to be at least fifty of them. It was the first time I had seen so many Grimm in one place. All I could do was cover those kids I was protecting and pray for someone to save us. Just then the upperclassmen arrived.

They told me to go get the kids to safety, but all I could think about was what would happen to them. Suddenly my body moved on its own. I grabbed the kids and ran away as fast as I could. I didn't even look back."

"…what happened to the upperclassmen?"

Ruby was almost too scared to ask that question. The sorrow and shakiness in Coco's voice already confirmed that her speculation was true.

"They didn't make it out." Coco finally said. "We managed to get all of the people out of town before the military arrived…but the upperclassmen weren't so lucky."

Ruby and the boys put their heads down in sympathy.

"I'm sorry." Ruby apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."

Coco managed to smile. "I told you it was fine didn't I? Don't worry so much. That day was a learning experience for me. Every time we go out there we put our lives on the line for not just the people of Vale, but all of Remnant. Those seniors knew going in what kind of danger was out there. They sacrificed themselves not only for me and those kids, but for you guys too."

"Us?" Ruby questioned.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"It's the job of us upperclassmen to help you guys do a better job than we did. If they didn't sacrifice themselves for me, then I wouldn't be here with you guys right now. Yeah it sucks that they had to die for that to happen, but our line of work isn't all candy and shoe sales. It's a harsh world out there, and we gotta be ready to take whatever it gives us. Am I right?"

The three nodded.

"Good." Coco smiled. "Now you three should head back home. I doubt you wanna be stuck with me all night."

The three rose from their chairs.

"Hold on, pinkie. You stay." She pointed to Natsu.

"Um…ok."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Natsu." Jaune said.

"Night." Ruby waved.

"Yeah. See you guys later."

Natsu sat back down in his chair once Jaune and Ruby were gone.

"Why did you want me to stay?" Natsu asked Coco.

"So you're the guy everyone was talking about."

"Huh?"

"I heard rumors about a first year that took down a Nevermore and a Death Stalker by himself during the initiation. At first I thought it was just a story somebody made up to make themselves look big in the school, but after today I guess I was the one that was wrong. You beat those things didn't you? And you did by eating dust."

"Yeah." Natsu admitted with a sheepish smile. "Almost everyone in the school knows what I did, but they don't know I ate dust to do it."

"You haven't told anyone?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nope. I mean I don't think it's that important."

"Are you crazy? Dust explodes if you throw it to the ground hard enough and you think eating it is no big deal?"

"Guess not." Natsu shrugged.

Coco sighed and sat back in her bed. "You're a weird guy you know that?"

"I get that a lot."

"I just wanted to say thanks."

"You don't have to thank me. We're all students remember?"

"I'm not thanking you for that…mostly. I'm thanking you something you did a while ago."

"I don't get it. What did I do?"

"You probably don't remember now, but a month or so ago you helped out a Faunus girl being bullied in the cafeteria. She had long brown hair and rabbit ears."

"Rabbit ears…rabbit ears…rabbit ears." Natsu repeated. His eyes quickly went wide in realization. "Oh! Velcro!"

"Velvet." Coco corrected.

"Yeah her. Sure I remember. How do you know her? Is she your friend or something?"

"Pretty much. She's on my team."

"Whoa." Natsu gasped. "That's awesome! How is she? I haven't seen her in a few days."

"She's doing fine. Still shy though."

"Yeah I thought as much. Nice that she's got friends looking out for her though."

"You're one of them."

"I am?"

Coco nodded. "Yeah. She talks about you non-stop. Every day I swear she shows me all the pictures of you she's taken."

"Wait. She takes pictures of me?"

"Calm down. She takes pictures of everything. She's really into collages and photo albums and stuff."

"Oh. Well I guess that's ok then."

"Yeah, but like I said I just wanted to thank you for helping her out back then. Velvet can be a tad too timid at times. That's why some people tend to walk all over her. I'm counting on you to look out for her when I'm not around. Deal?"

Natsu gave an affirmative nod. "You can count on me."

"Good."

Natsu stood up from his seat. "I'll let you get some rest. Good night, Coco."

"Thanks. You too, Natsu."

When the pinkette exited the infirmary Coco looked at her scroll. She had a new message from Velvet.

 **I saw Natsu and his friends go into the infirmary to visit you. What did you say to them? I hope you didn't mention my photo albums! D:**

Coco chuckled and typed her reply.

 **Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.**

Coco looked out the window again.

"Good luck, girl."

* * *

Natsu was still thinking of what Coco had said to him, Jaune, and Ruby as he wandered through the dormitory halls.

 _"It's the job of upperclassman to help pave the way for you guys."_

These words stuck with Natsu. There had to be a better way to make an example that didn't involve sacrificing yourself. At least that's what Natsu thought. He never got self-sacrifice. How could you deal with making your loved ones sad after you died protecting them? It just didn't add up.

Natsu finally stopped at his room door. He reached for the handle, but soon realized that the questions in his mind would keep him up all night.

"I need some air."

He walked around the corner and found the stairs leading to the roof. When he opened the door to go outside he saw a familiar head of long blonde hair sitting on the edge of the roof.

"Yang?"

The girl looked over her shoulder.

"Oh hey. What are you doing up here this late?"

"Just getting some air."

"Looks like we both had the same idea. You know what they say about great minds."

Natsu walked over and sat next to Yang.

"Ruby told me about what happened in the forest. You alright?"

"It was no big deal. Coco got the worst of it."

"I heard. Broken ankle. That sucks."

"Yeah."

Natsu leaned back on his hands and looked up at the moon. It seemed especially bright tonight.

"Did you talk to Weiss?" Yang asked.

Natsu sighed in exhaustion. "It was hard not to. She nearly tackled me when we got back. She must have checked me over at least fifty times for injuries before I told her I was fine."

Yang giggled. "She was just worried about you. I get where she's coming from."

"I just wish she would calm down a bit. She's been like that since we were kids. She would follow me around everywhere and be the first run to appear if I got hurt or something."

"Sounds like she cares a lot about you. Ruby couldn't focus on anything for more than a few seconds when she was a kid. She would zip this way and that before you could blink. Then she would always beg me to play with her, no matter how tired I was from watching her. I swear I felt more like her butler than her sister."

"Sounds like we both have family problems."

"You can say that again."

The two shared a laugh and gazed back to the stars.

"So about our bet…" Natsu began.

"You don't have to worry about that." Yang waved dismissively. "It was stupid anyway."

"No." Natsu firmly denied. "I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. I lost so I gotta honor the deal."

"How noble of you." Yang tittered. "But I thought you wanted rematch first."

"No need for one. You were right. I lost focus and it cost me. I lost fair and square."

"Nice of you to finally admit it. So...what kind of girls do you like? No backing out this time."

Natsu thought of Yang's question deeply for a moment. In all honesty he had never given the matter much thought. Of course he found girls attractive, but that desire was never strong enough for him to establish a preference. He was much too busy trying to increase his strength rather than his dating prowess. To him girls were just…there. Nothing to get too excited over.

"We don't have all night." Yang said impatiently.

"Just give me a second." Natsu retorted.

After a few more moments of quiet reflection, Natsu finally gave his answer.

"I like…pretty girls?"

Yang's soul almost left her body.

"Really? 'Pretty girls'? You kept me in suspense this long for that lame answer?"

"What? You asked and I told you. I can't help it if I don't think about girls all the time."

"Ok so then what do you mean by 'pretty'?" Yang prompted. "Like physically pretty or…?"

"I don't know. Just…pretty."

"You're not giving me much to work with here, Natsu." Yang sighed. "How can I tease you if you don't give me some good info?"

"So you wanted to know just so you could mess with me?"

"Basically." Yang smiled.

Natsu heaved a heavy sigh. "Great."

"Just give me an example. Do you know any girls you think are 'pretty'?"

Once again Natsu reached into his mind for an answer. This time he was much quicker on the draw.

"Pyrrha."

"Well duh."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You and Pyrrha talk so much that most people already think you're dating."

"That's not true."

"Tell some of the other first years that."

Now Natsu was getting embarrassed. "Well…Blake is pretty too…I think."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Yang said with excitement. "Got any more?"

"Velvet?"

"The faunus girl from the other day? Makes sense. Some guys really go for the quiet, timid types. Who else?"

Natsu took a little be longer to answer this time.

"You."

Yang froze and her eyes went wide.

"W-what?" she stammered.

He turned his head to her. "I said I think you're pretty too."

Yang realized just how close her face was to Natsu's. Her cheeks started burning red and she quickly backed away.

"You ok?" Natsu asked.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." Yang covered her blush with her hands.

"Alright then are we done? I'm starting to get sleepy."

"Y-yeah. That's it."

Natsu yawned and stretched. "Cool. See ya tomorrow."

"G-good night."

With that Natsu walked back into the dormitory, leaving Yang alone on the roof like he found her. She looked back into the night sky, her hands still covering her heated cheeks.

 _"I think you're pretty too."_

The words repeated over and over in her head. It wasn't like it was the first time someone had said them to her. Many guys over the years had told the blonde how pretty they though she was. But it was something about the way Natsu said it that made it seem that much more genuine. It was an odd feeling.

Yang's hands dropped from her cheeks and she smiled. Her eyes trailing up to the moon overhead.

"Smooth talker."

* * *

 **New Chapter! I didn't mean to make it this long, but it just ended up happening. You know how it is. I hope I got Coco's character right, she hasn't shown up a lot so I improvised a bit. Hopefully she wasn't too ooc. It was fun to write her though.**

 **As always, leave a comment/review letting me know what you think! Thanks for reading! :D**

 **Author's Note: Some of you have been wondering just what outfit Natsu is wearing in this story. It's not his original looks. He is wearing the clothing from onr of the Tartaros Arc Chapter covers (I don't know which).**

 **The black vest with gold trimmings and the black undershirt with black pants. I thought his color scheme should be opposite his sisters. For those having trouble picturing it, if type "Natsu Tartaros Outfit" in Google images it should be the fifth picture.**


	11. An Unexpected Reunion

"Wait up, Kitty!"

Natsu ran as fast as he could, but no matter how hard his little legs pushed he couldn't keep up with the little girl in front of him.

"You're too slow, Sally!" she giggled. "If you don't hurry you'll never catch me!"

"I would if you stopped jumping off of everything! I can't climb that fast!"

"You're just making excuses!"

The girl - named Kitty - ascended the ladder of the building and Natsu followed as fast as he could. Just as he reached the top rung, his foot slipped and he lost his grip. He cried out in fright, but just Kitty grabbed his hand.

"Got you!"

Natsu got back on the ladder and held his friend's hand as she helped him onto the roof of the building. The young boy sighed in relief.

"That was scary." He said.

Kitty started to giggle. Her cat ears twitching out from the top of her stark black hair.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Natsu shouted. "I almost fell!"

"I know, but you made a really funny face. It was like this." The girl made her eyes and mouth as wide as she could and flailed her arms around.

Natsu started to snicker.

"That is funny."

The two children – human and faunus - shared a laugh that seemed to drag on forever, completely oblivious to the world around them.

* * *

The streets of Vale were alive with various decorations and colors in preparation for the upcoming Vytal Festival. While most of the citizens were buzzing with excitement for the coming event, others were much less enthused.

"I'm so bored!"

Natsu's annoyed groans echoed in the ears of those around him in the Vale town square. After serving another Friday in detention – this time for accidentally setting Professor Port's mustache on fire when the man woke him up during class – Natsu found himself strolling the city streets on his own.

He asked his team to accompany him, but apparently they had other plans.

 _"I'm sorry, leader."_ Cinder apologized with an apologetic smile. _"We have personal business to attend to elsewhere tonight. Rain check?"_

"What are those guys always doing when I'm not around? I thought we were supposed to be a team."

As he rounded a corner into an alleyway, he bumped into someone.

"Oh crap! My bad! Are you ok?"

"Yes. I am doing very well. How are you?"

"Uh…good I guess?"

Natsu looked down at the person he had knocked over. It was a girl. She looked to be roughly around his age, if not slightly younger. Her curly orange hair was offset by her pale white skin – the latter of which nearly blinded Natsu when the light shined on her. She lay perfectly straight on the ground, her green eyes focused on the pinkette as if she were awaiting a command of some sort.

"You sure you're ok?"

The girl briefly looked along her body as if she were inspecting it. She then nodded.

"Yes. Everything is functioning properly."

"...Do you need some help getting up?"

The girl pondered this question for a moment.

"Yes please."

Natsu picked her up and placed her on her feet – she was bit heavier than he thought. He would never say that out loud though.

"There you go."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm Natsu by the way. Sorry for knocking you over. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Greetings, Natsu." The girl smiled. "My name is Penny. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

"Oh the Vytal Festival! This is wonderful!"

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much, Weiss…it's kind of freaking me out."

Team RWBY were in the thick of things when they reached downtown Vale. Here was where the decorations were at their peak, with nearly all of the shops having signs welcoming tourists from all over Remnant – as well as luring them in with promises of "low" prices and deals on products.

"How could I not be excited?" Weiss asked her team leader. "The Vytal Festival is dedicated to cultures from all over the world! Dances! Parades! Tournaments! The amount of planning that goes into an event such as this is simply divine."

"You sure know how to suck the fun out a festival." Yang commented.

"You hush."

The girls reached the harbor and watched a large passenger ship settle into the dock.

"Can someone explain to me again why we're wasting our Friday afternoon at the docks?" asked a bored Yang.

"It smells like fish." Ruby nasally retched as she held her nostrils closed.

"Students from Vacuo should be arriving today by boat." Weiss explained. "And as a representative of not only the Schnee family, but for Beacon as well I think it only appropriate that I welcome them to our illustrious kingdom with open arms. It's only right."

"She wants to spy on them so she has the advantage in the tournament." Blake translated.

"Those words did not leave my mouth."

"Didn't have to."

"Whoa. What's happening over there?"

Ruby turned her team's attention to a police crime scene not too far from them. A shop with all of its windows and doors broken was blocked off by yellow police tape. Not one to let curiosity be ignored, the four made their way over.

"What happened?" Ruby asked one of the detectives on the scene.

"Robbery." He answered. "This is the second dust shop to be hit this week. Got a regular crime wave going on. This city is turning into a mad house."

"That's awful." Said Yang.

"They left all the money again." The detective's partner said. Their conversation caught Ruby's attention.

"Just doesn't add up." The first cop said. "Why break in and not take the money? Who needs that much dust?"

"Beats me." His partner shrugged.

"You thinking the White Fang did it?"

"I think we don't get pad enough to ask those kind of questions. Come on. Let's go back to the station and write the report."

"I hate filling out those things."

"The White Fang." Weiss scoffed. "What a bunch of degenerates."

Blake raised a brow. "What's your problem?"

"Me? Nothing. I simply don't fancy the criminally insane."

"The White Fang aren't malicious psychopaths. They're just misguided."

"Misguided? They want to exterminate humanity."

"So they're **very** misguided. Either way that doesn't mean they would rob a random dust shop in the middle of downtown."

"Blake's got a point." Ruby said. "They never caught that Torchwick guy that Natsu and I ran into a couple of months ago. Maybe he's behind it."

"Even so that doesn't erase the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of anarchist scum. The only thing those Faunus are good for is lies, deceit, and theft."

"That's not entirely true." Yang chimed in.

"Stop that Faunus!"

The girls turned around. The shout had come from the boat in the docks. Team RWBY ran over to the harbor railings, seeing two of the boat's crew chasing after a Faunus boy. He jumped onto the starboard edge of the ship, cockily grinning at his pursuers.

"Thanks for the ride, boys." He leapt from the boat to the dock, then jumped to the nearest lamppost. Using his tail – which resembled that of a monkey's – to suspend himself upside down.

"You no-good stowaway!" one of the men shouted.

The boy proceeded to peel the banana he kept in his shirt pocket.

"A no-good stowaway would have been caught." He corrected. "I'm a great stowaway." He saw a rock flying his way and quickly evaded. When he searched for who threw it he saw two detectives standing below him.

"You. Get down from there right now." One of them ordered.

The boy answered by throwing his banana peel at them. This was probably not the best move seeing as the detectives gave chase as soon as the boy jumped back down to the dock. He ran up the stairs and into town. As he sped past Team RWBY, he gave a brief wink and smile to a surprised - and very confused - Blake.

"Lucky for you, Weiss." Yang joked as the detectives chased the boy away. "You wanted to see the competition, and there it goes."

"Hurry! We have to observe him!"

Weiss led the charge as Team RWBY followed after the faunus being chased by the police. When they rounded the corner, the heiress ran into her brother.

"Whoa hold on, sis. What's the hurry?"

"Natsu?" Weiss looked behind her brother just in time to see the fugitive jump to a building and out of sight. "No! He got away!"

"Who got away?"

"We were chasing this guy that stowed away one of the passenger ships. We think he's going to be a participant in the tournament." Yang answered.

"Really? Dang. If I knew that I would have caught him and challenged him to a fight." Natsu lamented.

"You serve your sentence?" Ruby joked.

"Yeah. Professor Port can be a real pain sometimes."

"It's entirely your fault for sleeping in class. I told you to stop staying up so late at night." Weiss chided.

"I can't help it. It's much easier to train at night since no one else is awake."

Weiss sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Salutations!"

Weiss - as well as her team - nearly jumped out of her skin when a pale girl with orange hair poked her head from behind Natsu.

"Uh…hello." Ruby awkwardly retruned.

"Natsu, who is this?" his sister asked.

"This is Penny." The pinkette introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The girl smiled.

"Penny, this is Ruby, Blake, Yang, and my little sister Weiss."

"Hi." Ruby greeted.

"Hello." Weiss said.

"Nice meeting you." Blake nodded.

"Yo." Yang waved.

"Are these girls your friends, too?" Penny asked Natsu.

"Yep. You could say that."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Penny chirped.

"Yes…well it was nice meeting you, but we should really be on our way." Weiss quickly said. "Are you coming, Natsu?"

"Yeah. See you later, Penny."

"So long, friend." Ruby waved.

The group left the peculiar girl behind and walked back onto the city's main street.

"She was…weird." Yang said.

"Where did you meet her anyway?" Blake asked Natsu.

"I ran into her when I was wandering around town. I didn't have anything else to do so I hung out with her until we ran into you guys."

"How come all the crazy is always attracted to you?" Yang questioned. For some reason she took offense to her own comment.

"Enough of the idle chit-chat." Weiss said. "Now that Natsu is with us, we have a much better chance of finding that faunus riff-raff. All we need to do is get his scent and-"

The group stopped abruptly when their path was blocked…by Penny.

"What did you call me?" the girl asked.

"M-me?" Yang stammered, thinking she heard their conversation. Meanwhile Weiss was having a fit trying to figure out how she suddenly appeared in front of them.

"I-I didn't think you heard me. I swear I didn't mean anything by-"

"Not you." Penny walked past Yang to Ruby. "You."

"Me?" the young girl pointed at herself. "I- I don't know I-"

"You called me friend. Didn't she?" Penny pointed to Ruby and looked at Natsu.

"That's what I heard."

"Am I really your friend?"

"Um…I uh…" Ruby looked past Penny to her team. Each of them were telling her to deny it. When she looked to Natsu for an answer he simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say: "Do what you want." In a panic Ruby answered truthfully.

"Sure! Why not."

Her team fell over in disbelief. While Natsu gave an approving nod.

"Sensational!" Penny exclaimed. "I've made two friends in one day! We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!"

"Was this what it was like when we met?" Ruby asked Weiss.

"No. She is much more coordinated."

"Yeah, but only a little bit." Natsu added.

"So…what are you doing in Vale?" Yang asked Penny, trying to ease the awkward mood as best she could.

"I am here to fight in the tournament." she answered.

"Wait…you're fighting in the tournament?" Weiss inquired.

"That's awesome!" her brother shouted.

"You didn't know this beforehand?" Blake asked.

"I didn't think to ask."

"I'm combat ready." Penny saluted.

"Forgive my candor, but you hardly look the part." Said Weiss.

"Says the girl wearing a dress." Blake retorted.

"Excuse you. I'll have you know that this is a combat skirt."

"Yeah." Ruby chimed in. The two exchanged a low-five.

"Hold on." Said Weiss. "If you're a participant in the tournament, does that mean you know that monkey-tailed…rapscallion?"

Penny cocked her head to the side. "The what?"

Weiss held up a crudely drawn picture of the fugitive from earlier. "The filthy faunus from the boat!" she elaborated.

Blake had finally had enough.

"Why do you keeping saying that?!" she shouted.

"I beg your pardon?" Weiss implored.

"Stop calling him a rapscallion, and stop calling him a degenerate! He's a person!"

"Oh, my apologies." Weiss said facetiously. "Would like me to stop referring to the trash can as a trash can, or a lamppost as a lamppost, or my brother as a glutton?"

"Hey!" Natsu shouted through a mouth full of hot dogs.

"Where did you even get those?" Ruby asked.

"There's a stand over there." Natsu pointed his thumb behind him to a vendor near the corner of the street. Sure enough he was selling hot dogs.

"Stop it! That is not the same thing and you know it!" Blake shouted to Weiss.

"Explain how it isn't."

"The trash can and the lamppost aren't alive. That guy is. And you making judgements about him like that is exactly why the White Fang and all Faunus feel the way they do about humans."

"So I should just give him a pass because he is a 'person'? In case you've forgotten he clearly broke the law by stowing away on that ship and evading police capture. Given enough time he will probably join up with the rest of those low lives in the White Fang."

"You ignorant brat!"

Blake stormed off.

"How dare you talk to me that way?!" Weiss shouted. She followed after Blake. "I am your teammate!"

"You are nothing but a judgmental little girl."

"What gives you the right to say things like that to me?"

Yang and Ruby worriedly watched from the sidelines as their teammates argued.

"Do you think we should stop them?" Yang asked. "Weiss is your sister, Natsu. Can't you calm her down?"

"Nope. I learned a long time ago tostay out of her way when she's mad. I'm going to walk around town more. You guys wanna come with?"

"No. I think we should stay here." Ruby politely declined.

Natsu shrugged. "Suit yourselves. What about you, Penny? Wanna see more of the city?"

"Yes please! I would love too!" Penny happily accepted.

"Cool then we'll head out. See you guys later."

"Goodbye." Penny said.

"Bye." The sisters said in unison, their eyes still on Blake and Weiss.

"The fact that you associate that faunus boy with a terrorist group based solely on his species makes you just as callous and malicious as you claim him to be." Blake offered to the heiress.

"So you admit that the White Fang is an extremist group of terrorists.'

"That is not what I am saying and you know it!"

* * *

"I don't understand why this is such a sensitive issue."

"And that right there is the problem!"

Blake and Weiss's argument had continued long after Team RWBY returned to their room. The sun had set some few hours ago, but neither Weiss nor Blake showed signs of conceding to each other any time soon.

"You do realize that you are defending a group whose sole purpose is the extinction of humanity, right?" Weiss asked. "You must know how crazy that sounds. The Faunus of the White Fang are pure evil."

"There is no such thing as pure evil!" Blake shouted, shooting up from her bed. "Why do you think they despise humanity the way they do? It's because of people like Cardin…people like you who force the White Fang to use such drastic methods!"

"People like me?"

"You're prejudiced!"

"I'm a victim!"

The room suddenly fell silent in wake of Weiss' revelation.

"Do you wish to know why I hate the White Fang? Why I don't particularly align myself with the Faunus?"

Weiss walked to the open window.

"It's simple really. It's because they've been at war with my family for years. Literal war, as in blood spilled and lives ended. For as long as I can remember my grandfather's company has been the target of numerous attacks both big and amall. Ever since I was a child, I've seen and experienced things that most people never dream of. Family friends disappearing. Board members executed. An entire train full of dust…stolen. My brother was nearly killed during one of their attacks.

With each new tragedy my father would come home furious. As you can imagine that made for a very rough childhood."

Ruby moved to console her teammate. "Weiss…" she placed her hand on her shoulder, but the heiress violently shook it off.

"No! Do you want know why I hate the White Fang?!" she yelled at Blake. "It's because they are a group of liars, thieves, and murderers!"

"Well maybe we just tired of being pushed around!" Blake snapped.

Once again the room fell silent. Weiss slowly backed away from her teammate. All shocked eyes were on Blake, who finally realized what she had just said.

"I…"

The black-haired girl took a tentative step back before speeding out of the room.

"Blake, wait!" Ruby yelled. "Come back!"

Yang looked to Weiss, but the heiress simply looked at her feet in anger and betrayal.

"You ate the entire buffet?" Pyrrha asked Natsu in disbelief. The two were currently walking through the dormitory halls after another training session with Jaune.

"Kind of. Penny helped." The pinkette smiled.

"That must have cost quite a bit of money."

"Not really. It was all you can eat. You should come with me some time. Not to that place though, they banned me, but there are lots of other restaurants in town with good food. So it shouldn't be hard to find one. What do ya say?"

Pyrrha blushed with a smile. "O-ok.: she nodded. "That sounds fun."

"Awesome." Natsu smiled.

The two turned the corner to the hall with the rooms when a speeding object collided with Natsu and knocked him to the ground.

"Are you ok?"

Pyrrha helped Natsu to his feet.

"Yeah. Why is everyone bumping into me today?"

Natsu looked down to see who had run into him this time. He was surprised to see Blake on the ground.

"Geez, Blake. Where's the fire?"

When the black-haired girl looked up to Natsu she couldn't help but hear Weiss' words echo in her head.

 _My brother was nearly killed during a White Fang attack._

"What's wrong, Blake? You're crying." Natsu pointed out.

"Huh?" Blake reached to her right eye, feeling the wetness of tears.

"Did something happen?" Pyrrha worriedly asked. "You can tell us. We're your friends."

 _Friends?_ Blake bit her lip in frustration at the word. She thought of her teammate's reaction to her words in the room. They were shocked, but at the same time...frightened. Without uttering a word, Blake sped off again.

"Blake!" Natsu shouted after her. "Wait!"

"Go after her." Pyrrha said. "I'll go tell the others."

"Right. Thanks, Pyrrha."

Natsu chased after Blake.

* * *

Blake ran as fast as she could through the lamp lit courtyard of the school. With nowhere else to go, she stopped in front of the statue in the middle of the grounds. The statue was that of a hunter and huntress standing triumphantly on a cliff. A roaring Beowolf beneath them.

Her heart tugging in all directions out of guilt, Blake slowly undid her bow. She looked down at the ribbon in her hand in shame as a voice called out to her.

"Blake!"

She whipped around, her heart racing in fear when she saw Natsu approaching.

"Stay back!" she shouted.

Natsu complied and stopped just a few meters away. "What's going on, Blake? Why were you crying?"

"Just go away!"

"I will when you talk to me. What happened to-"

As Natsu's eyes trailed upward, they slowly widened. At the top of Blake's head – right where her bow normally sat – were two cat ears.

"Blake…you're a-"

"I said leave me alone!" she shouted again, stepping back to the statue.

The wind blew, and a familiar scent wafted into Natsu's nostrils. It was the same scent that he smelled on Blake the day they met, the same smell that appeared whenever she was around him. Sweet, but bitter all at the same time. Unconsciously he stepped forward, the smell growing stronger and bringing memories to the surface. A girl with a scarf, black hair, and cat ears.

Frightened by Natsu's approach. Blake pointed Gambol Shroud at him.

"T-this is lat time I'm going to tell you to stay away!"

"Kitty?"

Blake's eyes widened and she slowly lowered her weapon. "How...how do you know that name?"

"It is you isn't it? You're Kitty."

Blake offered no response. She was clearly still afraid.

"I guess it makes sense that you don't remember me. Maybe this will help." Natsu reached for his scarf and unwrapped it from his neck.

"What are you doing?" Blake demanded, holding Gambol Shroud up again.

Natsu held his scarf in his hand and titled his head to the left, revealing a scar on the right side of his neck. "Remember? I showed this to you a long time ago."

Blake looked at the scar, and suddenly a flood of memories came rushing back to her. A smiling boy with a scaly scarf that hid a scar on his neck. A hat that hid the color and appearance of his hair from view. When she looked at Natsu, all of these memories long thought buried erupted to the surface.

"…Sally?" she uttered, fully lowering her guard.

Natsu rewrapped his scarf and smiled wide at Blake.

"It's been a while, huh?"

* * *

 **New Chapter! A bit shorter than last time, but Volume 1 is almost done folks! Thanks so much for the support so far!**

 **I promised way back in chapter 7 that Natsu would have a connection one of the main characters in RWBY aside from Weiss, and here I revealed that that person is indeed Blake. Next chapter will be the end of Volume 1, as well as an expansion on the connection between the two (don't worry I'll also explain where the "Sally" nickname came from for those put off by it).**

 **Until next time tell me what you think by posting a comment/review and as always thanks fo reading! :)**


	12. The Promise We Made As Children

"How long are we going to be on this thing?"

"Not much longer. Try and compose yourself, boy."

The contents of young Natsu's stomach were in the midst of an uphill battle as the airship soared through the sky. Today was the day he accompanied his father to a business conference in Vale that would last five days. Natsu didn't really care for the family business, but he had never seen a country other than Atlas before so he happily agreed to come along. Though if he knew they would be flying there he would have stowed that enthusiasm.

"We're approaching airport, sir." The pilot said to Natsu's father.

"Very good. Bring us down."

"Yes, sir."

The airship slowly descended into a private hangar that bared the Schnee family crest. When the landing procedures was complete, the door to the vehicle opened and Natsu zipped out, breathing in the fresh air and thanking the gods above that his ordeal was finally over. He lay on his stomach on the ground with a thankful smile on his face.

"I missed you, ground."

"Stop fooling around, or we'll be late." His father scolded. "Now come."

Natsu looked to his father and his spirits plummeted to the ground when he saw him entering a limousine. Natsu followed with his head hung low, the feeling of death creeping around him as soon as the wheels of the vehicles started to turn.

Somewhat lucid during the trip, Natsu was able to see a sign that informed him that they were now within Vale's city limits.

"Hey, Dad. Why do the country Vale and the city Vale have the same name?" Natsu asked.

"I have no idea." His father sniped. "It's not important."

"Oh." Natsu slumped in his seat. He didn't know why he expected a different answer from the man.

Natsu had only been a Schnee for a little under two years, but he learned a long time ago that he would not get along with the man he called his father. He was always more business minded than anything else. He never had time for his family, or rather he didn't make time. Oddly enough this seemed to suit Natsu just fine. It's not like this man was his real father anyway. Why should he care if he's nice to him or not?

"Why didn't Weiss come with us?"

"She has lessons today."

"Couldn't she just skip them?"

"No."

Natsu pouted in dissatisfaction at the curt reply.

Despite not feeling much of a connection to his 'father', Natsu was the exact opposite when it came to his adopted sister. Barring a somewhat rocky start, the two had become near inseparable over time – sometimes to Natsu's chagrin. At times it seemed he couldn't go much of anywhere or do anything without Weiss clinging to him in some form or fashion. He still remembered her being on the verge of tears when he said he was going to Vale.

 _I should get her a souvenir or something._ He thought.

As the limousine rolled into the city square, Natsu's ears picked up numerous muffled voices coming from outside the vehicle. He pulled himself up from the seat – ignoring his rumbling stomach – and was surprised by what he saw. Lined all the way down the street were hundreds of angry protestors.

Some of the signs they held read: "Rights for all!", "Faunus are people too!", and "Justice for the helpless!"

Natsu was astonished by the scence. He had seen and heard these kinds of protests numerous times on the news, but it was another thing entirely to experience them in person.

The Faunus. People born with animal-like characteristics and traits. This usually meant that they had tails, ears, or any other type of appendage that made them resemble animals. Natsu had been told by one of his various tutors that the Faunus orchestrated a war in order to gain civil rights. Natsu never really took much stock in the story, but by the looks of things these Faunus were clearly upset about not having those rights.

As the car continued down the street unimpeded, Natsu took notice of one sign in particluar. It read "Schnee's Slaves!". What caught his eye even further was the person holding. It was a girl around the same age as him with long black hair that stopped just above her shoulders, and cat ears that poked out from the top of her head. She looked just as angry as the adults around her, if not more so as her small arms violently shook her sign in the air. The boy didn't know why, but this sight prompted Natsu to ask...

"Dad...is our company bad?"

"Don't ask such foolish questions, Natsu." his father replied. "Those Faunus are simply ignorant and naive. That's why they rally like fools. They believe waving around useless signs will really change the way things are. They are simply gluttons who want far more than they deserve. Use their weakness as an example. Do not be like them."

"Ok..."

Natsu didn't feel all that better after hearing his father's answer. In fact the man's words made him feel worse. If a girl as young as that was out there protesting and yelling, were things really all that good? They couldn't be. If they were she wouldn't be out there. None of the Faunus would.

As the limousine drove further down the street, Natsu's eyes stayed on the girl for as long as they could.

* * *

Natsu sat outside the conference room on the second floor of the Schnee Branch Building, his legs swinging over the front of the chair. It had been three hours since his father entered his first of what would be many meetings, and Natsu was well beyond the realm of boredom.

"Do I have to stay here?" he whined to his body guards. "I wanna see the city."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Schnee, but your father specifically instructed us to not let you out of our sight."

Natsu huffed and slumped in his chair. Kicking his legs harder while he crossed him arms in dissatisfaction. "This sucks."

"Would you like something to eat while you wait?" One of the guards asked.

"Not hungry."

"Something to drink?" The other offered.

"Not thirsty."

After spending an ample amount of time thinking of a way to get away from his bodyguards, Natsu came up with the perfect plan.

"I need to use the bathroom." he said.

"But you just went a few minutes ago."

"I gotta go again."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Schnee, but we can't-"

"Please?!" Natsu jumped from his seat, pressed his shaking knees together, and held his hands over his crotch as he did a little dance. "I have to go really bad! I feel like I'll pee myself!"

"Fine." One of them said. "We will accompany you to the bathroom."

"Thanks."

The trio walked to the restroom at the edge of the hall. It was relatively small with only one stall, which was more than perfect for the mischievous boy's plan.

"Don't take too long." One of the guards said. "Your father will be done with his meeting shortly."

"Ok."

Natsu walked inside the bathroom.

"Cute kid, but such a handful." The other guard said.

"Tell me about it."

Natsu turned on the light in the bathroom and spotted the narrow window on the wall. It was fairly high up. Almost touching the ceiling. One thing was for sure, it was much too high for someone his height.

"I have to find a way up there."

Natsu looked around for something to give him a boost to the window, spotting a couple of buckets used to clean the floor. His plan set in motion, the young pinkette set about stacking the buckets on top of one another. He climbed to the top of his flimsy tower, his fingertips barely rubbing against the windowsill.

"Almost…there…" Natsu strained from his tiptoes and with one quick jump he was finally able to grab the ledge. "Got it!"

As Natsu pulled himself up his foot tapped the edge of the buckets, knocking them to the ground with a numerous thud. The sound spooked the guards.

"What was that?"

"We better check."

They burst through the door.

"Mr. Schnee, what's-"

They arrived just in time to see Natsu's foot exit the window.

"Crap!"

They raced to the window to grab him, but they were too late. Natsu fell out of the window and grabbed a pipe against the wall of the building, safely sliding down to a backstreet below.

"See you later, guys! I'm going exploring!"

He waved to his astonished bodyguards with a smile and ran into town.

"We are so fired." One of guards said meekly.

"Come on, we gotta find him!"

* * *

"Wow."

Natsu strolled through Vale with his eyes wide in wonder. The city - as well as the country - was much different than Atlas. While as there the cities were much more technologically advanced, cities and scenary in Vale were...simpler for lack of a better word. Stone paved roads, rustic looking shops, plants and fauna dotting the streets. It was like stepping into some kind of time machine. That's not to say Vale was completely behind. It still had the same advances in technology as the rest of Remnant, but they were not as prevalent.

The young explorer passed by an alleyway, his eyes lighting up when he heard the voices of children.

"Other kids! I wonder if they wanna play!"

He ran down the alley with a smile on his face, but the closer he got to the kids the clearer their words became.

"Get out of here!"

"Nobody likes you!"

"Yeah you Faunus freak!"

Natsu's face quickly started to turn and soon enough he came upon the scene. Three boys much older than him – one fat and the other two skinny –were berating and kicking a Faunus girl on the ground. Upon closer inspection Natsu recognized her as the girl he saw out side the limo earlier.

"Hey!"

The boys turned around, taking notice of angered look on Natsu's face.

"What's your problem, kid?" the portly child asked. He was clearly the leader of the trio of bullies. "You wanna get in on this too? There's plenty room."

"Leave her alone." the pinkette demanded.

This confused the lead bully. " What? Are you friends with this freak or something?"

"She's not a freak she's a person! So quit picking on her!"

"Oh I see." The boy smirked. He cracked his knuckles as he and his cronies walked towards Natsu. "You're Faunus lover, aren't ya? Well we don't really like your kind around here. So I suggest you scram before we beat you up too, kid."

Natsu stood his ground, unafraid of the bully's threats.

"Make me." He challenged.

"Ok." The leader of the bullies drew back his fist. "You asked for it!" He decked Natsu, sending him flying into some nearby trash cans.

"Nice hit, Jerome!" one of the skinny bullies praised.

"Yeah. I bet that kid's sorry he messed with us now." The other said.

The bullies started to laugh but when they turned their attention back to the Faunus girl, Natsu rose up from the trash. He glared to the trio, his piercing black eyes sending shivers up their spines.

"W-what's with this kid?"

"Y-yeah! How is he still standing?!"

"You want some more?!" The leader – Jerome - shouted. He sounded more frightened than intimidating.

Natsu spit out a bit of blood. "Bring it."

Jerome drew back his fist and ran towards Natsu, when he lunged forward to punch again his fist was caught.

"Let go of me, you freak!"

Natsu looked up, clenching the bully's fist tighter in his grasp. In one fluid motion he pulled Jerome closer and planted his fist in the gut. When he let go of the bully's fist, the boy soared out of the alleyway and into some empty crates on the other side of the street. His cohorts nearly wet themselves in fear.

"You want some too?" Natsu threatened.

The two boys ran away in fear.

"Chickens."

With the threat now gone, Natsu placed his hat back on his head and made his way over to the girl they were harassing.

"You don't have to worry about those jerks bothering you anymore. You're safe now." He held his hand to her, but to his surprise she forcefully slapped it away.

"I didn't need your help." She said roughly. She stood up and turned her back to him.

"Well as long as you're ok I guess it doesn't matter." Natsu smiled. He was going to ask her a question before seeing a cut on her arm. He reached for her. "You're bleeding."

"Don't touch me!" the girl shouted. "I said I don't need your help, human."

"Ok." Natsu recalled his hand.

Natsu had no idea what to do. He was trying to be nice but this girl kept shooting him down at every turn, it was a bit frustrating. He wanted to talk to her, but he didn't want to maker even madder than she was.

"Natsu! Natsu, where are you!"

"Come out! This isn't funny anymore!"

Natsu's body tensed in fear when he heard the voice of his bodyguards.

 _Oh no they followed me! If they catch me Dad is really going to let me have it!_

Without thinking he grabbed the Faunus girl by the wrist and started to run.

"What are you doing?! Let go of me!" she demanded.

"We gotta get out of here! Some bad men are coming! Hurry!"

Natsu and his reluctant companion ran out of the alley and into town. Ignoring the curious eyes of the citizens around them, the two quickly ducked into an abandoned building on the edge of downtown. Natsu let go of the girl and bent over to his knees in exhaustion.

"I think we're safe now." he said. Just to be sure he looked out of the empty doorway for any trace of the guards.

"Why did you bring me here?" the Faunus girl irritably asked. "I don't have anything to do with those people chasing you."

"Sorry." Natsu apologized with a smile. "I kinda just grabbed you without thinking, but the coast is clear now s we should be fine. By the way I'm-"

"I don't care what your name is." the girl interrupted. "I just want you to leave me alone."

"Geez, you're rude. I'm just trying to be friends."

"Well I never asked for you to be my friend, or save me from those bullies. Do you always stick your nose in other people's business?"

"Sorry." Natsu apologized again, this time with a slump in his shoulders.

The girl looked over her shoulder and sighed. Regardless of her justifiable irritation, she felt the boy wasn't that bad of a person. The least she could offer was a thank you. "…Thanks…for helping me...I guess. Even though I didn't ask you to."

Natsu's mood brightened. "You're welcome. Gotta name?"

"I'm not telling you."

They were right back to square one. Trying to find a way to break through the girl's cold exterior, Natsu came up with an idea.

"Ok then. Since you won't tell me your name, then I'll just make one up."

"What? Hold on. What are you-"

"Kitty!"

This gave the girl pause. "…Kitty?"

"Because you have cat ears." Natsu pointed to the top of his head with a smile.

The girl – now begrudgingly called Kitty – pouted at the smiling pinkette. "That name is ridiculous."

"Well I don't know what else to call you since you won't tell me your real name. Now it's your turn."

"My turn?"

"Yeah! I gave you a nickname, now you have to give me one. It's what friends do."

"We're not friends." "Kitty" reminded.

"Well of course not if we don't give each other nicknames."

Kitty sighed in defeat. No matter what she did or said this boy was not going to let her go easily.

"I can't think of anything." She said, hoping he would give up this silly game and finally let her leave.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Natsu walked to the hole in the building where the window used to be and poked his head out. By now the sun was starting to set.

Kitty looked over to Natsu and noticed something peculiar poking out from the underside of his hat.

 _His hair…it's pink?_

"I should get going." He said. "My dad will be mad at me if I'm not back by the time he's out of his meeting, and I'm pretty sure the bodyguards are mad I ran off. How long are you are you going to be in Vale?"

"I don't know…why?"

"I was thinking we could hang out again." He smiled. "This place can be our secret hideout. We can meet here tomorrow. What do ya say?"

"You can come back here if you want, but don't expect to see me." Kitty curtly replied.

"Alright." Without another word Natsu jumped out of the window and started down the street. He didn't seem to bothered by the girl's reply. "See you later, Kitty!" he waved.

"That's not my name!" the Faunus girl shouted back. When he was gone she found herself wondering: _What's with that kid?_

* * *

Blake had been standing inside the abandoned building since early morning. After protesting in front of the Schnee Dust Company building for a few hours, she convinced a few of the adults to let her walk around town using the excuse that she was exploring. Knowing she could handle herself if the need arose they allowed her to leave, and for a reason she still had yet to figure out, the "secret hideout" was the first place she came.

"Why am I here?" she asked herself for what felt like the thousandth time.

 _This place can be our secret hideout. We can meet here tomorrow._

The boy's words replayed in her mind again.

 _He said that but…he's not here._ Blake had never really talked to a human for an extended period of time before. Every time she met one they treated her like garbage just because she was a Faunus - much like those bullies from yesterday. As such she never really made it a habit to talk with humans. However there was something different about the boy she met yesterday. Something different enough that made her come back to this "secret hideout" at his urging.

Having finally grown tired of waiting for, she stepped out of the shadowy corner of the building.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted a human…"

Just then the boy rushed in the open doorway.

"Hey, Kitty, I'm here!" he announced.

Blake jumped back in fright, covering herself in the shadows once more. She watched as the boy looked around for her.

"She's not here?" she heard him ask. "I guess she was only in town for one day." He dropped his head and kicked a rock ahead of him into the darkness. "That sucks. I wanted to talk to her a little more."

"Y-you're late."

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. When Blake stepped forth from the shadows again, she saw him smile.

"There you are! Don't scare me like that."

"I didn't mean to." Blake looked away in embarrassment. "It's your fault for arriving late."

"Sorry about that." he apologized. "I had to get away from the guards again."

"You have guards?"

"Yeah. They're the 'bad men' I told you about yesterday. They work for my Dad."

"He must be very important if he's given you bodyguards." Blake said.

"Yeah. He runs this huge company, but enough about him. Did you think of a nickname for me yet?"

"A nickname?" Blake repeated in surprise.

"Yeah." The boy nodded. "Remember? You were supposed to think of one before we met up today. So what did you come up with?"

Blake retreated into herself in a panic. _I don't remember having to do that._ She looked back to the boy. He was staring at her with an expectant smile. _He's really serious about this. If I don't think of one in time will he be angry with me? Will he leave? Wait, why do I even care about that?_

She looked to boy again. His smile had changed into a worried frown.

 _Oh no! He's starting to get upset! Think! What's a good nickname?! Think!_ Just then Blake remembered something from yesterday. _His hair! The bits I saw from under his hat were pink! Should I call him Pinkie? No that seems too harsh._

"Hey, Kitty, are you ok-"

"Sally!" Blake blurted out.

"Sally?" the boy repeated with a tilt of his head.

"Y-your hair. It's pink. It reminded me of salmon so I thought...Sally."

The boy seemed displeased with his nickname. "That's a girl's name." he deadpanned.

"You don't like it?" Blake asked with a hint of worry. "I-I can change it if you-"

The boy – now known as Sally – shrugged his shoulders. "No it's fine. I'm sure you thought hard about it so it would be kinda rude to make you change it. Guess my name is Sally now." he smiled. "So what do you want to do today?"

"What do you mean?"

"It'd be boring if we stayed in here all day. We should go have some fun in the city."

"Have fun?"

The concept wasn't entirely foreign to Blake - she was still a kid after all - but she still had trouble when it came to interacting with humans. Add all of her protesting and she had little time to actually enjoy being young.

"You wouldn't be ashamed about being seen with me?" she tentatively asked.

Sally cocked his head to the side. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you're a human and I'm a Faunus…our two races don't exactly get along."

Sally held out his hand and smiled at Blake. That wide, toothy smile. She was starting to get comfortable around it.

"I don't care about that junk. You're just Kitty to me. Let's go play."

Blake felt herself smile for the first time in a long while. Slowly she reached out her hand and grabbed Sally's.

"Yes." She nodded.

* * *

For the next two days Natsu and Blake – going by the names Sally and Kitty respectively – played up and down along the city of Vale. Sneaking away to their hideout each morning, the children would play all day and part ways before the sun set.

They played in shops, raced through parks, climbed trees and buildings, ate candy and did whatever it was that children their age normally did. They even shared a couple of secrets with one another.

For Natsu this wasn't about just meeting a new friend, it was a glimpse at freedom that he never had due to his rather strict and cumbersom home life. For once since he was adopted he felt like a normal kid. The same went for Blake, but he enjoyment ran a bit deeper than Natsu's, for this was the first time she had ever made friends with a human.

Nearly all her life, Blake was told that humans didn't respect her people. That they were shunned and treated as nothing more than animals because human's were afraid of them and what they were capable of. For the most part these accusations were true. Every rally she attended for Faunus rights was met with hostility by most if not all of the human population in the area. Insults lobbied their way constantly. Trash thrown at them. Businesses refusing to serve them. These harsh experiences left the girl more than a little jaded, but being around Natsu seemed to ease this pain.

During all the time they spent together he never once made her feel less than what she was. He never made her feel like she wasn't a person. All he saw was a girl, one with cat ears, but a girl nonetheless. He saw a friend, and she saw the same.

"Why does the city have the same name as the country?" Natsu wondered.

"Maybe the person who built the city liked the name a lot." Blake answered.

Blake and Natsu lay flat on the roof of the "From Dust to Dust" bookstore. They had stayed out much longer than usual today, looking up to the stars after finishing the small dinner given to them by the owner of the shop – a couple of sandwiches and some fruit.

"Why do humans and Faunus hate each other so much?" Natsu asked.

"…I don't know." Blake sadly answered. She often wondered about that question herself. Sure she knew the history of the aggression between the races, but it didn't make much sense nowadays. "It's been this way for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I don't think things will ever change."

"I do. I mean, you and I are friends right? I think that means things can change if we try hard enough."

"I think it will take more than a couple of kids to make people listen."

"Look, Kitty!" Natsu pointed to a shooting star streaking across the sky. "I wish that one day humans and Faunus will get along like we do." He said. "I also wish that Kitty and I will be friends forever."

Natsu looked over to Blake and held out his pinky. "Right?"

Blake smiled warmly, wrapping her pinky around his.

"Yes. We'll always be friends."

"Then it's a promise." Natsu smiled wide.

"It is."

* * *

Blake sat inside the secret hideout, anxiously waiting for Natsu to show up.

"Where is he? He said he would meet me here in the morning. Did he get in trouble with his father for being out so late?"

She had been waiting around since early morning, and it was now well into the afternoon. She was starting to get worried.

"Maybe I should look for him."

Blake dusted herself off and went into town to look for her friend. When she entered the business district, a loud explosion rocked her ears. After shaking the dizziness out of her head, she looked ahead to the source of the explosion. Her eyes widened in horror.

Before her was the Schnee Company business building. It was on fire! Debris fell from the tower, to the street nearly crushing the people below running in fear. All around her Blake heard the sirens of emergency vehicles as well as the frightened cries of the townspeople of Vale.

"The White Fang! They did this!"

"But why?! They were always peaceful until now!"

"I knew we couldn't trust those Faunus!"

"How many people are inside that building?!"

"We gotta get out of here before it comes down!"

Blake walked through the crowds, her shocked eyes still focused on the burning building ahead of her.

 _The White Fang?_ She thought in a disbelief. _Why? We would never do something like this._

Just then a pink and white blur zipped by Blake. It was Natsu.

"Dad! Dad!" she heard him scream.

Blake snapped out of her trance and on instinct moved so fast she created a clone of herself. She intercepted Natsu, knocking him into an alleyway. She held onto him tightly, her legs wrapped around his to keep him from standing.

"Kitty?! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Natsu demanded.

"No, Sally!" Blake refused. "You can't go in there! It's too dangerous! You could die!"

"I don't care! My Dad's in there! I have to find him!"

Natsu continued to struggle violently in his friend's grip. "Let! Me! Go!" He suddenly threw his head back, accidentally hitting Blake in the nose. She let him go on reflex.

The boy quickly realized what he did and whipped around. His stomach turned in shame when he saw Blake's nose bleeding.

"Kitty, I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to-"when he reached his hand to her she swatted it away. When Blake looked at him with the same angered eyes she had when they first met, Natsu recalled his hand.

"I'm sorry."

He apologized one more time and dashed towards the burning building. Realizing what she had done, Blake's reached out for her friend.

"Sally, wait! Don't go!" She tried to run after him, but was stopped by a hand gripping her shoulder.

"Let go of-"she whipped around to attack the person who grabbed her, but stopped when she realized who it was. "Adam?"

Behind Blake was a young man not much older than her with spiked up red hair and a mask. He gripped the girl's shoulder tighter.

"We have to go, Blake. Now."

"Why?!" Blake shouted. She thought of Natsu's smile as she beat into Adam's chest with her small hands. "Why did you do this?! All of those people..."

"It needed to be done. You will learn the reason in time. Now come. Time is short."

Blake wanted to scream in protest and run after Natsu, but she was too frightened to defy Adam. With a heavy heart she looked back to the burning building one last time before following her companion into the shadows.

Sally…I'm so sorry…

* * *

Blake stared at Natsu in disbelief.

"Sally…" she uttered.

"It's kind of embarrassing to be called that after all these years." Natsu admitted with an embarrassed blush.

Suddenly Blake ran to him, burying her face into his chest. All of her various emotions spilling out at once, the normally calm and composed Blake began to cry.

"I thought…" she sniffed. "I thought you died in that fire! I didn't think I would ever see you again! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Surprised by her sudden tackling of him, Natsu instinctively wrapped his arms around Blake and hugged her.

"Hey you don't have to cry. I'm here now right?"

Blake sniffed and pulled back, Natsu letting her go as she wiped away her tears.

"How did you make it out?"

"Well fire doesn't really have much of an effect on me,ya know. So I was able to get into the building pretty easy. I found my dad and we made it out. I was going to look for you, but we immediately went home after that. I felt really bad about what happened. I thought you hated me for making your nose bleed. I didn't even get to say good bye"

"My nose?" Blake reached to her face, triggering the memory of Natsu hitting it with the back of his head all those years ago. She then smiled when she saw the apologetic look on his face. "You don't have to apologize for that. It was no big deal. I'm just glad you're alright."

"Wish I could say the same. Why were you running away earlier?"

"I-"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." A mysterious voice interrupted.

Natsu quickly moved Blake behind him and equipped Black Summer.

"Who's there?! Come out!" Natsu shouted into the darkness.

"Whoa there, tough guy. I'm not tryna pick a fight. I come in peace."

Natsu and Blake watched a figure jump from one of the light posts and land in front of them. When the light shined on the stranger, Blake recognized him as the Faunus boy from earlier in the day.

He caught a glimpse of Blake's ears and smiled. "You took the bow off. Cool! I knew you would look better without it."

"Who are you?!" Natsu demanded. He was still on edge.

"Natsu, it's ok." Blake said. She placed her hand on his forearm and he lowered his guard. She then stepped in front of him. "You're the Faunus from the boat." She said to the monkey-like young man.

"Sun Wukong at your service." He bowed.

"Ok, Sun." Blake said. "What do you want?"

* * *

"They've been gone all weekend." Ruby said sadly as she and the rest of her team walked through downtown Vale that Sunday morning.

Natsu and Blake had been missing since Friday night and the trio was starting to get worried - though Weiss was more worried about her brother than her teammate.

Every person they asked about the pair gave a negative response. It was like the two had fallen off the face of the planet.

"Blake is a big girl." Weiss said. "I'm sure she can handle herself. Besides, if Natsu is with her then we really don't have anything to worry about."

"Come on, Weiss, Blake is our teammate." Yang said. "Don't you even care a little bit about what happens to her?"

"Is she really one of us?" Weiss contended. "Lest you forget what she said."

"Weiss." Ruby hissed.

"Whether she is or isn't is not the point right now. All that matters is that she and Natsu are missing and we have to find them." Said Yang.

"I'm surprised Natsu's team isn't out looking for him with us." Ruby said.

"Yeah. Me too." Her sister agreed. "You'd think they would be out looking for their missing leader, instead they just blew it off like it didn't matter."

"Maybe they're mad at him or something."

"I can't believe it. A member of the White Fang, right underneath our noses." Weiss said. "I hope Natsu is really ok. He can be too trusting at times."

"I just hope they're both ok." Ruby said.

* * *

At a rooftop café not far from Team RWBY's location, Natsu, Blake, and Sun all sat at a table on the balcony. The Faunus drank tea, while Natsu stuffed his face with various pastries and snacks he ordered from the menu.

"This stuff is great!" he muffled. "I should bring Weiss and Pyrrha here sometime!"

"You really know how to pack it in." Sun laughed. He looked over to Blake, who was currently staring at her reflection in the tea.

She hadn't spoken a full sentence in two days. Natsu wasn't really worried about it. He knew she would talk when she was ready, but Sun was staring to get anxious.

Blake took a sip of her drink and finally spoke.

"So…you want to know more about me."

"Finally, she speaks!" Sun exclaimed. "Two days and you've given me nothing but small talk and weird looks."

She glared at him.

"Yeah like that."

"She's good at those." Natsu commented. When Blake's glare turned to him Natsu quickly went back to eating.

Blake rolled her eyes and refocused.

"Are you two familiar with the White Fang?"

"Yeah." Natsu muffled.

"Please stop talking with your mouthful, Sal-I mean Natsu." Blake caught herself from saying Natsu's nickname, but she still blushed in slight embarrassment.

Natsu swallowed the food in his mouth. "Sorry."

"Yeah, I've heard of the White Fang." Sun nodded. "I don't think there's a Faunus on the planet who hasn't. A bunch of psychopathic, holier-than-thou, creeps who use force to get what they want. If you ask me, they're just a bunch of freaks."

"I was…once a member of the White Fang." Blake revealed.

Sun nearly spit up his tea and Natsu almost choked on the cake he was eating.

"Wait hold on. You were a member of the White Fang?" Sun questioned through his coughs.

"I never knew that." Natsu said.

"That's because I never told you." Said Blake. "I was a member for most of my life. In a way I guess you could say I was born into it. Things used to be different. From out the ashes of war the White Fang was orginally created to be a symbol of unity between the Faunus and humanity, but of course things rarely ever go the way they should. And soon the Faunus were met with discrimination and hate.

Most humans still thought of Faunus as lesser beings. So in response, the White Fang rose up to challenge that prejudice. They were the voice of our people, and I was among them. I was in front of every rally. I took part in every protest. Participated in every boycott. That's where I met you actually, Natsu. At one of the rallies."

She looked over to the pinkette briefly and continued her story.

"I thought we were actually making a difference, but that was only youthful optimism. Things changed drastically five years ago when our former leader stepped down. A new one took his place, and with him came an entirely new way of thinking. Suddenly our peaceful protests were replaced by organized attacks.

We set fire to shops that refused to serve us, attacked and stole from companies that used Faunus labor, and the worst part was that it was actually working. We were finally treated as equals, but it wasn't out of respect for us as people. It was out of fear of what we were capable of.

So I left. I decided I didn't want to use my skills to aid their violence anymore. So instead I decided to dedicate my life to becoming a Huntress. Which brings me here now, a fugitive hiding in plain sight. All with the help of a little black bow."

Blake wiggled her ears beneath her bow.

Natsu and Sun were shocked by Blake's story.

"So…" Sun began after a period of silence. "Have you told any of your other friends about this?"

Natsu looked at the sorrowful expression on Blake's face with empathy.

* * *

"Blake!"

"Blake!"

"Natsu!"

Team RWBY continued their search for their friends. After a long stretch of wandering aimlessly they ended up in the market district.

"Blake! Natsu! Where are you?!" Ruby called. She turned her attention to her relatively silent teammate. "Weiss, you're not helping."

"What do you mean? I've been calling for Natsu right alongside you."

"Yeah but you haven't said anything about Blake." Yang spoke up.

"I'm sorry if I find my brother a bit more important than someone who ran away from us." Just then she got an idea. "Oh I know who could help us…the police!"

"Weiss." Ruby angrily hissed.

"What? It was only a suggestion."

"Yeah. A bad one."

"Maybe we should hear Blake's side of the story before jumping to any conclusions." Yang offered. "Maybe that's why Natsu is still with her."

"Yes and when we hear it you will all realize that I was right." Weiss said.

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today." A fourth voice complimented.

The girls whirled around in surprise. Seeing the smiling face of Penny.

"Penny, where did you come from?!" Ruby shouted.

"Hey, guys. What are you up to?" the quirky girl asked.

"We're looking for our friends Natsu and Blake." Yang answered.

Penny gasped. "Oh no! My friend Natsu and the Faunus girl have gone missing?"

Team RWBY was stunned by Penny's deduction of Blake.

"Wait. How did you know that?" Ruby asked her.

Penny innocently pointed to the top of her head. "The cat ears."

"What cat ears?" Yang questioned. "She wears a…bow..."

Slowly everything started to fall into place.

"She does like tuna a lot." Ruby whispered to her sister.

"So where are they?" Penny asked.

"We don't know, but they've been missing since Friday." Ruby answered.

Penny gasped again. "That's terrible! Well don't you worry, Ruby my friend, I won't rest until we find them."

"Uh…t-that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're fine. Right, guys?"

When Ruby looked to her sister and Weiss for help, she noticed that they were nowhere to be found. The young girl slumped her shoulders.

"Gre~at."

Penny simply smiled at her. "Shall we get started?"

* * *

In another part of town Blake and boys walked the streets while thinking of their next move.

"So what's the plan now?" Sun asked.

"It's obvious, right?" Natsu prompted. "We just find out where those White Fang jerks are held up and take them down."

"I'm still not convinced the White Fang are behind this." Blake argued. "They've never been in need of this much dust before."

Sun's eyes widened in realization. "But what if they did?"

Blake and Natsu were confused.

"Think about it. The only way to prove they didn't do it, is to go to the place where they would most likely do it, and not find them there. Right?"

"I still don't get it." Natsu said.

"I think I do." Blake nodded. "But the only problem is I have no idea where that would be."

"Well when I was on the ship I heard a couple of guys talking about unloading this huge shipment of dust." Sun revealed.

"How huge?" Blake interrogated.

"Huge. Big Schnee Company freighter."

"A Schnee freighter?" Blake looked over to Natsu.

"What?" the pinkette asked.

"Do you think you can get us on that loading dock, Natsu?"

"You said the freighter was from the Schnee Company right?" He pounded his chest and flashed a confident grin. "Just leave it to me."

* * *

"Thanks anyway."

Yang and Weiss exited the third shop they went to. Once again they found no info on the whereabouts of Blake and Natsu. Yang was starting to grow more worried by the second, but she couldn't help but notice how uninvolved Weiss looked.

"You really don't care if we find her do you?" she asked.

"Of course I do. My brother is with her after all. I'm just afraid of what she'll say when we do find her. The innocent never run, Yang."

The blonde couldn't argue with that point. She wanted to believe in Blake, but she found that harder the more time had passed between her absence.

"Before…you mentioned that Natsu almost died during a White Fang attack. What happened?"

Weiss sighed in exhaustion.

"If you don't wanna tell that's fine." Yang backpedaled. "I just wanted to know what-"

"No it's fine." Weiss said. "I suppose there is no harm in telling you. A few years ago my father took Natsu on a business trip to this very city. It was supposed to be a simple set of meetings about the company's sale projections and goals moving forwad, but that all quickly went south when a bomb planted by the White Fang went off in that building."

Weiss pointed to a tower a good distance away that had the Schnee Logo on the front of it.

"I remember hearing about that." Yang said. "That was one of White Fang's first ever attacks wasn't it?"

"It was." Weiss nodded. "I had to stay home, but when I heard the news of the attack my heart dropped into my stomach. I was so scared. I was afraid that I was never going to see my Father or my brother again. That was when I first started to hate the White Fang."

"But Blake's like that." Yang defended. "She wouldn't never take part in something that horrible."

"Wouldn't she?" Weiss argued. "She's kept her identity as Faunus a secret from us since the day we met, and now we find out that she's part of the White Fang as well. How much do we really know about her? I will give her the benefit of the doubt for now, but if it turns out that she has done anything to put my brother or anyone else I know in danger again…I will never forgive her."

* * *

"So Blake is your friend?" Penny asked Ruby.

"Yes, Penny." Ruby sighed irritably.

"And you're mad at her and Natsu?"

"No. I mean yes. I mean not Natsu, but Weiss is mad at Blake."

"Is **she** friends with Blake?"

"That's kind of open-ended right now."

"But why? I don't understand."

Ruby sighed again and stopped walking. "Well the thing is Blake might not be who she said she was."

Penny gasped. "Is she a man?"

"No. no. She's…I don't know what she is. She didn't exactly talk to us before she running."

"I don't have a lot of friends…" Penny began. "But if I did. I would like for them to talk to me about things."

"Me too."

* * *

The day soon turned to night and after a little bit of maneuvering, Natsu was able to get himself and the others onto the docks.

"Were you really going to call your father if they didn't let us on the docks?" Blake asked. She and Natsu were currently watching the empty docks from atop a stack of empty shipping containers/

"Nah." Natsu answered. "I haven't talked to him since coming to Beacon. I was pretty convincing though, huh?" he smiled and rubbed his finger under his nose.

"You were." Blake grinned.

It was strange. Despite being unaware of the other's presence until a couple of days ago, Natsu and Blake acted as if they had never stopped talking. There was no awkward moment between them. Sure a lot had happened to each of them since they last saw each other as children, but none of it seemed to matter now. They were simply happy to be spending time together again - even in the less than favorable circumstances.

"This is kind of like when we played that prank on that shopkeeper when we were kids." Natsu reminisced. "Remember watching him step in dog poop from the top of the alley."

"I do." Blake nodded. "But I don't think now is the best time to bring that up."

"Did I miss anything?"

Sun returned with an arm full of food.

"Not really." Blake answered. "They already off-loaded all of the cargo. Now we're just waiting for something to happen."

"Cool." He offered an apple to the pair. "Stole some food. You guys hungry?"

"Got any meat?" Natsu asked.

"I think I have steak in here somewhere. It's raw though."

"No worries."

Sun found the meat and threw it to the pinkette. "Head's up."

"Thanks." Natsu quickly cooked the meat in his fire and took a bite.

"Awesome." Sun complimented.

"Do you always break the law without asking?" Blake asked her fellow Faunus.

"Weren't you in a cult or something?" Sun responded.

"Don't be a hippopotamus, Blake." Natsu muffled through a mouth full of stake.

"Hypocrite." Blake corrected.

Natsu swallowed his food. "Yeah that."

A huge gust of wind blew and the teens looked up, seeing a Bullhead hovering over them. The aircraft slowly set down in the middle of the docks, and when its door's opened up a man wearing a uniform with the symbol of the White Fang emblazoned on the back walked out.

"Oh no." Blake uttered.

"That them?" Sun asked.

"Yes." Blake answered in disappointment. "It's them."

More White Fang members exited the air craft and stood on the dock.

"Alright." The leader of the punitive force said to the others. "Grab the tow cables."

"You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?" Sun asked.

"No. I think deep down I knew." Blake revealed. "I just didn't want to be right."

"Sorry, Blake." Natsu apologized.

Blake shook her head. "It's ok. It's not your fault. I know what I have to do now."

"Hey!"

The teens looked back at the docks at the sound of the new voice. Out of the ship stepped Roman Torchwick, much to the trio's surprise.

"We're not exactly the most inconspicuous group of thieves at the moment." The well-dressed fugitive said to the White Fang members. "So why don't you animals at least try and pick up the pace a bit, hm?"

"That's that jerk that Ruby and I fought the other night !" Natsu shouted. "Torchwood!"

"I think his name is Torchwick." Sun corrected.

"This isn't right." Blake said with narrowed eyes. "The White Fang would never join forces with a human."

She stood up, reaching over her shoulder for Gambol Shroud.

"Especially not one like that."

Natsu smirked when Blake fully unsheathed her weapon.

He punched his fist and stood up next to her, Black Summer forming around his arms.

"Finally some action! Let's take'em out!"

"Right."

The two jumped off of the container.

"Wait where are you guys going?!" Sun called.

The pair ran to another stack of containers and hid behind it. They looked around the corner, seeing Torchwick berating one of the White Fang.

"No, you idiot." They heard him say as he pointed at the cables. "That isn't a leash."

The duo swiftly moved from the crate and Blake grabbed Torchwick, placing the blade of her sword against his neck. Natsu stood in front of them, his weapons pointed at the White Fang members.

Torchwick seemed more annoyed than frightened.

"Oh for fu-"

"Nobody move!" Blake commanded the men surrounding them.

"Hey there, Pinkie. Nice to see you again." Torchwick said to Natsu.

"Shut up." The pinkette responded.

The White Fang grunts moved closer and drew their weapons. Blake held her blade closer to Torchwick's neck while Natsu prepared to blast away their enemies the moment they crossed the imaginary line he made in his head.

"Whoa. Hold on. Take it easy there, kids." Torchwick said.

Thinking of a way to resolve the situation without bloodshed. Blake removed her ribbon and threw it into the wind, revealing her cat ears to everyone.

"Brothers of the White Fang!" she spoke. "Why do you aid this scum?!"

The men started to lower their weapons, but Torchwick simply smirked.

"Didn't get the memo, little lady?"

"What are you talking about?" Blake demanded.

"The White Fang and I, we sort of got ourselves involved in a bit of a joint business venture."

"Tell me what it is, before I put an end to your little operation right here and now."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a 'little' operation." Torchwick prompted.

Before Blake could make good on her threat, more Bullheads started to circle around.

"There's more of them?!" Natsu shouted. His stomach was starting to get queasy.

Using the distraction to free himself, Torchwick fired his cane into the ground. The blast created an explosion that knocked Blake away.

The sound echoed through the deserted city, catching the attention of Ruby and Penny.

"Oh no." Ruby muttered, seeing the smoke billowing from the docks.

"Blake!" Natsu ran to his friend's aid, grabbing her just as Torchwick fired more blasts their way.

The pair narrowly avoided the barrage, ducking behind another stack of containers.

"You alright?" Natsu asked her.

"Yes. Thank you. He just took me by surprise." Blake breathed. "We have to find a way to stop him."

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Just leave it to me. I owe him a few punches from last time anyway."

"Come on out, kiddies! Daddy Roman wants to play!" Torchwick approached the containers Natsu and Blake ran behind before a banana peel fell onto his hat.

"What the-" He removed the trash just in time to see Sun falling from the sky.

The monkey-boy stomped Roman's face on the way down, bouncing off and landing on his feet a few feet away.

"Leave them alone." He said sternly.

The airborne Bullheads' doors opened and more White Fang members jumped out. They surrounded Sun, their weapons drawn for battle.

Torchwick stood up and dusted himself off.

"You aren't the brightest banana in the bunch. Are ya, kid?"

The grunts charged, but Sun easily dispatched a few of them with a combination of his quick reflexes and unorthodox fighting style. He then reached under his shirt, pulling out four red and gold pipes that he quickly assembled into a long pole. He swung the staff around effortlessly, effectively taking out the remaining grunts.

"That was awesome." Natsu said from behind the crate he and Blake were hiding behind. "He'd be fun to fight."

"Focus." Blake sharply reminded. "We need Sun to make us an opening."

Roman fired a blast from his cane at Sun, but he blocked it by spinning his staff. When the smoke cleared, Blake revealed herself.

"He's mine!" she declared.

She slashed at Torchwick, using the clones created by her semblance to keep him off balance. One after another Blake's nimble yet precise strikes kept Torchwick on his toes. Add in her afterimages and it would only be a matter of time before the suave criminal was overwhelmed.

Choosing to wait out the barrage for an opportunity, Torchwick found his chance when Blake slid just a bit too far on her left foot. She breifly stumbled and resume her attack, but Torchwick had already read her strategy. He brushed off her assault with his cane, the situation turning in his favor. Using the angered Blake's momentum against her, Torchwick pressed forward. Three wallops from his cane to Blake's shoulder, neck, and ribs effectively ended her attack, but as soon as she fell Natsu rushed into the battle.

"How many of you are there?!" Torchwick yelled.

"I still owe you for the other night!"

He lunged towards Torchwick, but missed when then the fugitive backpeddaled. Natsu's fist slammed into the dock, cracking the cement with a crash.

Whoa! Torchwick panicked. Gotta be careful with this one. If that hit me I would have been a pancake.

Natsu zipped forward and drew back his fist once more. Torchwick simply evaded with a shifting of his head this time - though the wind from the momentum of the punch nearly blew his hat off. Natsu's attacks were not only more powerful than Blake's, but wilder as well. It was like playing with a kitten only to be tackled a few seconds later by a wild tiger. Torchwick was having a hard time adjusting.

"Stand still!" Natsu shouted as another one of his punches missed its mark.

"Not a chance, kid. You know how hard it is to look this good?"

Frustrated with his enemy's smug attitude. Natsu formed an idea. He drew back his fist again, but as soon as Torchwick prepared to block with cane, Natsu duck and kicked his legs from under him. Torchwick fell to his back.

"No more running!"

Just as Natsu was about to finish the battle, Torchwick pointed the end of his cane at the pinkette.

"Right. No more running. Say goodbye, Pinkie."

When he pulled the trigger Natsu opened his mouth as wide as he could. When the blast entered his mouth, Natsu closed it. There was a small pop and Natsu smirked, smoke billowing out of the corners of his mouth.

"Goodbye, Pinkie."

Torchwick was less than enthused about this sudden turn of events. "I completely forgot about that. Time for plan B then."

Torchwick tripped Natsu with his cane and kicked him away, sending him sliding back towards Blake and Sun. He then rolled backwards to one knee, wiping away the blood on the side of his mouth and looking at it. He was mildly impressed.

 _Kid's not half bad. Guess I know why she's interested in him._

Natsu dashed after Torchwick once, letting loose another flurry of punches. Thanks to eating Torchwick's attack he was much stranger than earlier. The fugitive managed to evade and block most of Natsu's salvo until Sun reappeared.

His staff now broken into a pair of nunchaku, the Faunus aided Natsu in pushing Torchwick back. With each swing of Sun's nunchaku, a shotgun shell fired. This disoriented Torchwick, making him work even harder to counter the pair. Sun parried his cane and Natsu kicked him in the gut. Doubled over in pain, Torchwick could only watch as Blake leapfrogged over Natsu and kick him in the face.

Torchwick slid along the ground, his annoyed glare fixed on the three teens.

Natsu's eyes were wide in wonder at Sun's weapons. "Those things are awesome!" He exclaimed. "You gotta show me how to use'em!"

"If you teach me how to eat fire." The Faunus countered with an equally joyful smile.

"Would you guys get a grip?" Blake scolded. "We're not done yet."

"Not by a long shot." Torchwick confirmed. He pointed his cane to a container suspended overhead and fired at the cables. The massive object quickly fell to the dock, but the three teens managed to jump out of the way before getting squashed.

Sun was the first to recover. He rolled to his back, his eyes widening in fear when he saw Torchwick standing over him. His the end of his cane pointed directly at the boy's face. Sun was so close that he could feel the heat radiating from the end of the rifle.

"One down." Torchwick noted with a evil grin.

"Hey!"

Everyone looked and saw Ruby standing on a stack of containers, her scythe at the ready.

"Well hello, Red. Isn't it past your bedtime?" Torchwick prompted with a mocking grin.

"Ruby…?" Penny timidly called.

"Stay back, Penny."

Torchwick suddenly fired a blast at Ruby, sending her flying back.

"Ruby!" Natsu and Blake shouted.

As Ruby gingerly rose to her feet, Penny walked to the edge of the container.

"Penny, wait stop!" Ruby pleaded.

"Don't worry, Ruby." Penny reassured. She then narrowed her eyes at Torchwick. "I'm combat ready."

A compartment of sorts revealed itself from her back and out flew a sword. It floated behind Penny and in an instant it multiplied into ten more blades. Penny then leapt down from the container, her swords dispatching some of the revived White Fang grunts on the way down. Upon landing on the dock, more men charged. Penny swiftly defeated them, her swords soaring across the battlefield as if they were tied by strings.

Penny's movements were as precise as could be. No wasted motion could be seen as she effortlessly battled the hordes in front of her. Her swords seemed to be independent of her movements, but she was still in total control. She could even make a shield from attacks by arranging the swords into a circle and spinning them around at high speeds.

Sun let out an impressed whistle at the girl's display.

"Whoa." Natsu gasped.

Soon more Bullheads arrived, these ones firing their turrets at Penny from the air. She deflected the shots with her shield. Two more emerged from her back and stuck into the base of a nearby warehouse. Penny was pulled back to the building by some sort of wire that was barely visible in the moonlight.

She circled her arms around and the swords pointed forward. They spun around faster and faster, creating a ball of green energy in the center. Penny thrust her arms forward and the ball turned into a laser that sliced one of the Bullheads wight down the middle.

Ruby watched in shocked awe as the destroyed aircraft flew over her head. She looked back to Penny, who had stuck more swords into another Bullhead. She didn't know whether to be impressed or scared at the girl's power.

"How is she doing that?"

Penny used all her strength and pulled the Bullhead back with her. Gripping the near-invisible wires tightly, Penny slung the aircraft into a few of the containers; creating a massive explosion.

Realizing the time had come to cut his losses, Torchwick rushed to one of the few Bullheads that Penny hadn't destroyed.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Natsu made a mad dash for Torchwick.

"Hurry, you idiot! Get us airborne!" Torchwick shouted to the pilot as soon as he noticed Natsu.

The vehicle started to hover, but the pinkette was able to grab on to the edge of the open doorway. As the Bullhead lifted higher off the ground, Natsu felt his stomach churning.

"Crap...I didn't really think this through…"

"What's wrong, kiddo?" Torchwick cooed. "Getting a little motion sick?"

"Shut up!" Natsu shouted, trying his best not to vomit. "We aren't…finished…"

"Oh believe me I know, but how about you and I reschedule this play date, hmm? I've got some grown up business to take care of." He pointed his cane at Natsu. "See you next time, Pinkie."

Torchwick fired, the explosion knocking Natsu from the Bullhead and sending him rocketing to the ground below.

"Natsu!" Ruby yelled.

"He's falling!" Blake shouted.

"I will save him!"

Penny jumped from a container and into the air, catching Natsu in her arms. Somehow she safely landed on the docks.

"He got away." Natsu groaned. "Stupid flying death trap."

"Are you ok?" Penny asked him.

"Yeah. I'm good." He flashed a toothy grin and gave her a thumbs up. "Nice catch, Penny."

* * *

Natsu, Blake, Ruby, Sun, and Penny all sat on wooden crates on the outside of the docks. They watched as police searched around the area for any traces of Torchwick or the White Fang. Seeing as they were the only witnesses to the crimes, the group was forbidden to leave until they all went through proper questioning.

As they anxiously awaited their interrogation, they were reunited with Weiss and Yang.

Ruby immediately went into damage control upon seeing her white-haired teammate's usual scowl.

"Look, Weiss, it's not what you think." she said frantically. "Blake explained the whole thing. She doesn't actually wear a bow she has kitty ears and they're…kinda cute..."

Weiss ignored her team leader and made a beeline for Blake.

"Weiss…" Blake began. "I just want you to know that I'm no longer a member of the White Fang. Back when I was-"

"Stop." The heiress interrupted. "Do you know how long we've been searching for you? Twelve hours. That means that I have had twelve hours to process this entire situation...and do you know what I have decided?"

The question ominously hung in the air, unnerving everyone as they waited for Weiss to speak again.

"I don't care." Weiss finally said.

Blake didn't know how to respond to this. "You...don't care?"

"You said you are no longer apart of them right?"

"Yes, but I-"

"I don't wanna hear it. The only thing I want you to do from now on is let us know when something big like this comes up. Talk to your teammates. Not…" she briefly glared at Sun. "Someone else." She thought of calling him a criminal, but thought better of it after realizing that was partly what caused this mess in the first place.

Blake wiped away the water gathering in her eye. "Of course." she accepted with a nod.

"Yay!" Ruby exclaimed. "Team RWBY is back together!"

"Everything is back to normal." Natsu nodded sagely.

"Don't think you're off the hook, mister." Weiss threatened.

"What did I do?"

"Blake may have had an excuse but that doesn't mean you did. Why did you just run off without telling anyone? Do you have any idea how worried was about you?"

Natsu dropped his head in shame. "I'm sorry."

"It'll take much more than a sorry to fix things this time, Natsu. I hope you are ready for a very thorough punishment when we get home."

"Yes, ma'am." Natsu sunk even lower.

"Who's the older sibling again?" Yang whispered to Ruby.

"Hold on. Where's Penny?" Ruby questioned.

"I don't know. She was just here a minute ago." Natsu realized.

As the group looked for their lost friend, Penny watched them from inside of a car.

"You should know better than to wander around a strange town." A man said to her.

"I know, sir." She replied apologetically.

The vehicle sped off.

"Penny, your time will come. You just have to be patient."

* * *

Torchwick entered his hideout and placed his briefcase full of dust on the table.

"I swear these kids keep getting weirder and weirder." He groaned, rubbing his sore neck. "What else could go wrong?"

"How very disappointing, Roman." A voice called int eh darkness.

"Whoa!" Torchwick whipped around in surprise as the door slid shut. "Wasn't expecting to see you guys so soon."

From the shadows emerged Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury.

"We were expecting…more from you." Cinder said with slight disappointment.

"Hey hey. You were the one who suggested working with those stupid mutts from the White fang." Torchwick reminded.

"And you will continue to do so. We have big plans for you, Roman. All we ask is for a little cooperation."

"What about your little boy toy? Natsu was it? Met again him today. Kid packs quite a wallop. I can see why you got a crush on him. If you're not careful he'll sniff you out."

"Natsu is not your concern." Cinder lit a flame in her hand, her eyes glowing gold in the darkness of the warehouse as the flames danced. "Soon he will belong to me."

* * *

Natsu walked onto the dormitory roof. When he arrived, he saw Blake standing at the edge.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" he asked her.

"Natsu? No. I just keep thinking about the White Fang and Torchwick. Why would they cooperate with him? What are they after? I just have this really bad feeling that something terrible is about to happen soon."

"Doesn't help worrying about it now." Natsu said. "Whatever it is, we'll stop them."

"I hope you're right."

The two gazed up to the stars. It was just like the sky they saw together when they were kids.

"I'm sorry." Blake apologized

"Don't worry about it. You made up with the others. So you really don't have to keep apologizing for running off."

"I'm not apologizing for that."

"Then what are you saying sorry for?"

"The bomb..." Blake answered. She tried to meet Natsu's eyes, but she was too ashamed. After an agonizingly long period of silence, Natsu finally spoke.

"You don't have to apologize. It's not like you set the bomb or anything. It wasn't your fault."

"That still doesn't make it right. I was still a member of the White Fang back. So I am just as guilty as the guys we fought today."

"I don't think so." Natsu argued. "You told you Weiss you aren't in the White Fang anymore, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"What happened in the past is the past. The only thing that matters is that we're here right now. Even when you said you were apart of the White Fang I was never mad at you. You obviously had a reason for hiding it, and even i don't really understand it I can respect it. You're still my friend."

Blake was taken aback by Natsu's words.

"But if you really make up for the all bad stuff you did in the White Fang, then all you needa do is move forward. Be the best Huntress you can be. No point in dwelling on things you can't change. Just leads to a bunch of heartache and regret."

"Natsu…" she uttered.

When she was finally able to look at him, Blake saw Natsu's pinky outstretched towards her.

"Remember the promise we made whne we were kids?"

Blake's eyes widened a bit before she settled into a comfortable smile. "I do."

She wrapped her pinky around his and they shook hands.

"Best friends forever. Right, Kitty?"

Blake nodded.

"Best friends forever. Thank you...Sally"

The two smiled at one another, their pinkies intertwined as a shooting star streaked across the night sky.

* * *

 **Well Vol. 1 is done! I know this chapter is a bit of a heavy one, but I thought it best to just end the first volume of the story with a little something extra. I may do the ends of volumes 2 and 3 a bit long as well, but that remains to be seen.**

 **Going to give one or two one off chapters before diving into volume 2, but I hop you guys will stick around.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think and thanks for reading!**

 **PS: During the final scene between Natsu and Blake, I imagined them briefly seeing each other as kids again when they did their pinky promise. Just what I pictured in my mind.**


	13. Anniversary of a Family

"Is that him?"

"I think so."

"What is he doing?"

"I don't know. He's been looking out that same window since he arrived."

"Why is his hair pink?"

"He may have dyed it."

"At his age? No it must be genetic."

Natsu tried his best to ignore the whispers of the Schnee mansion staff.

"Why can't they just leave me alone?" he muttered.

The servants had been following him around since he was brought to the Schnee Mansion nearly two weeks ago. The young boy's arrival was an awkward one for all in involved. The Master of the household brought him home seemingly on a whim. When asked where Natsu came from, Mr. Schnee simply answered: "It's none of your concern.". It was a very confusing things to say, but one thing was for sure; this boy was the newest addition to the family.

As Natsu continued to stare out of the window - his eyes now fixed on a raven standing on the windowsill - as another visitor appeared next to the servants. She was a child with long white hair and a curious expression, clutching her stuffed puppy in her arms tightly as she watched him.

"Young Mistress." One of the servants called. "What are you doing here?"

"Is that the boy Daddy brought home?" she asked.

"Yes. He's been standing in that same spot for days. I hardly think he's slept since arriving."

"I want to talk to him."

Weiss stepped from out of the crowd and walked into the room.

"Wait, young mistress!" another of the servants called.

Weiss ignored the worried calls of the staff and approached Natsu. He gave her a brief glance before looking back out of the window.

"Hello." she greeted with a bow. "My name is Weiss. What's your name?"

"Natsu." He answered gruffly.

"That's an odd name. Where did you come from?"

"Not here."

"Oh…the servants said you haven't eaten thing yet. Are you hungry?"

"No."

Natsu's curt replies disheartened the young girl, but she persevered.

"Emily - the head maid - said you're going to be in our family. What happened? Do you not have a mommy and daddy?"

"No. I don't."

"That's sad. I don't have a Mommy either, but I have my Daddy and my big sister so it's not that bad. If you want I can show around the house and-"

"Just leave me alone, alright?!" Natsu snapped, startling Weiss.

He stormed out of the room passing by a saddened Weiss and a frightened mansion staff.

"How dare he talk to the young mistress like that?" one of the butlers gasped.

"What a rude scoundrel."

"I don't know what possessed the Master to bring him here."

"Well with that attitude he won't be here for very long."

The head maid walked over to Weiss.

"He hates me." she frowned.

"Don't worry, young mistress. He doesn't hate you. He just needs some time to adjust to things. I'm sure this is all very new to him. Perhaps you can try again later."

Weiss nodded and clutched her plushie tighter.

* * *

Weiss quickly shuffled through the mansion halls. Her target firmly in sight, the young heiress shadowed him until he reached the dining hall. When he went inside she scampered to the open door, hiding when she noticed him turning his head.

Emily noticed Weiss in her hiding spot and approached her.

"Young mistress?"

"Shh." She hushed. "You have to be quiet."

"Forgive me." The head maid lowered her voice to a whisper. "Forgive my candor, but may I ask what you are doing?"

"I'm following Natsu." She answered.

"Yes I can see that. You've been at this for over a week. The other staff and I have tried to ignore, but I feel now is an appropriate time to ask exactly why you are following him."

"I want to know more about him."

"Forgive my insolence again, but perhaps you would be better served actually talking to him to get that information rather than following him around. That is most unbecoming of a young lady."

Weiss frowned. "Every time I try to talk to him, he gets really mean. I think he still hates me."

"I wouldn't say that he dislikes you. He's just having a hard time adjusting to this home. I imagine it must be tough at his age."

"Can I do something about it?" Weiss asked. She seemed genuinely concerned about the young boy's well-being. "He looks really sad all of the time."

Emily smiled warmly. " You're very considerate, Young Mistress, but the best thing you can do is give him time. He will open up when he is ready. You mustn't rush him."

"Ok." Weiss resigned.

With that Emily resumed his duties, leaving Weiss alone with her quarry. Despite the maid's suggestion she continued to watch Natsu. He was sitting at the large dining table with numerous plates of food before him. Weiss had never seen so much food being consumed by one person before. She was amazed, as well as a tad frightened.

 _Is he really going to eat all of that by himself? He'll explode!_

Before digging in, Natsu looked to the open doorway. Weiss hid herself, but it was already too late.

"I know you're there." He said. "Come out."

Weiss stepped into the door way.

"Hello." She waved innocently.

"Why do you keep following me?" he quickly asked.

"What do you mean? I'm not following you."

"I'm not dumb. I could smell you the entire time." He pointed to his nose.

"Are you saying I stink? That's a rude thing to say to a lady." The young girl huffed.

"No. I just have a really good nose. Plus it's not like you're quiet. I heard you break that vase in the den."

"Oh." Weiss blushed in embarrassment. She was hoping no one had heard that.

"So why are you following me?" Natsu asked again.

"I…" Weiss looked down to her feet. "I was trying to learn more about you."

Natsu was confused. "Why?"

Weiss looked at the ground, unable to meet Natsu's irritated glare.. "You just look really sad all the time. So I thought that following you would-"

"Stop following me." Natsu sternly interrupted, Weiss flinched at his tone.

"O-ok but I still-"

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone? I don't want to be your friend. I don't even want to be in this house."

"IBut-"

"But what?!"

"It's just…you're kind of like me."

"...What are you talking about?"

"My Mommy...she passed away when I was a baby…and my Daddy doesn't spend time with me because he's running the family company. Sometimes I don't think he cares about me at all. My sister is in school and never comes home, so I'm by myself a lot. The house staff try to play with me, but they all have work to do so i just end up being a bother. When you came I thought things would start to change.

I found somebody that was lonely like me. I was hoping we could play together and maybe one day…I could call you 'big brother'."

There was a period of silence before Natsu gave his reply.

"I'm not like you." he said firmly. "I'm not your big brother and I'm not a part of your family, got it? So just leave me alone."

Weiss' spirits sank into the ground at Natsu's words, she was almost on the verge of tears. Nonetheless, she sadly nodded.

"Ok. I understand. I won't bother you anymore."

"Good."

Before leaving the room Weiss placed something on the opposite end of the table.

Natsu pretended not to notice, but as soon as she was gone he walked to opposite edge of the table to see what she put down. Sitting there was a single piece of candy.

* * *

"Hurry along, children. The sun won't be out forever."

Following after the spirited Emily, Natsu dragged himself through the Schnee Family Garden. Despite his constant refusal, Natsu was eventually forced out of the house and into the garden by his new father.

In his words Natsu would "do well to see how the world works instead of being a lay about."

Natsu wanted to argue, but even he knew better than to talk back to the man giving him a home and food. So he kept silent and begrudgingly obeyed.

Looking around, even Natsu's scowl softened when he recognized the beauty of the flowers in the garden. He had never seen anything like it before. There were so many flowers. Stretching as far as his eyes could see. There were so many colors, it was like watching a rainbow go on forever.

"Pretty." He muttered. When Natsu looked ahead, his eyes met Weiss'. She quickly looked away.

For reasons unknown to the pinkette, Weiss decided to come along as well. It had been a couple of days since their conversation in the dining area. As per Natsu's request, she left him alone and had not followed or spoken to him since. then they had not spoken to one another. However, Natsu always found items on the nightstand in his room each morning.

Candy and little trinkets always greeted him when he opened his eyes. At first he was confused, but it didn't take him long to figure out that Weiss was the culprit. However when he tried to confront her about it she scurried off before he had a chance to speak.

It was a bit frustrating at first, but soon Natsu caught on to why Weiss was avoiding him. The young boy felt guilty for the way he had treated Weiss since arriving at the Schnee house. She had been nothing but nice to him since their first meeting, but he continued blowing her off and being rude. Even after what he said, she still tried to appeal to him through her little "gifts".

Natsu stared at Weiss' back with determination.

 _I'm going to apologize today!_ He declared.

"Here we are."

Emily stopped at a section of the garden populated by yellow lilies.

"Master Schnee is hosting a gathering for a few of the companies investors. So we will be picking flowers for the table decorations. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Yes!" Weiss smiled.

"Natsu?"

"Whatever." The boy scoffed.

The maid seemed unfazed by his short response and continued to smile. "Let's get started."

While Emily and Weiss searched through the flowers for the perfect specimens to use as decoration, Natsu stood off to the side. He watched Weiss pick flowers and show them to Emily. Her smile was cute to him. He had no idea how to approach her, when he saw her glance his way, Natsu took the opportunity to speak.

"Hey…"

"I found some more, Emily!" Weiss suddenly shouted.

She ignored Natsu completely and ran to the maid with a group of flowers in hand.

"Those are lovely, Young Mistress. You are really good at this." The maid smiled. "You can place them in the basket over there with the others."

"Ok!" Weiss bounded to the wicker basket next to Emily's foot and dropped her flowers inside. "I'm going to look for more." She pointed to a gathering of trees further in the garden.

"Ok, just be careful. Don't stray too far."

"I won't." Weiss skipped away, giving a dumbfounded Natsu a brief glance before speeding off into the trees.

Weiss felt bad about ignoring the boy, but she couldn't help it. The harsh words he said to her still echoed in her mind, and while she still wanted to become better acquainted with Natsu, she still wasn't quite ready to speak to him again.

"They're around here somewhere. I know it."

Weiss searched around the trees, eventually coming upon a small one separated from the others. The sun filtered through the canopy of the larger trees, revealing the cherry blossoms growing on the shrub.

"There it is!"

Weiss bounced to the cherry blossom tree, admiring the flowers growing on its small branches with widened eyes.

"So pretty. I just know Natsu will like these! They're the same color as his hair."

Weiss happily hummed to herself as she picked blossoms from the tree. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of red lights started to glow in the distance.

* * *

Natsu scowled as he plucked one flower after another from the garden.

"I don't think we need that many flowers, but I appreciate the enthusiasm." Emily smiled at him. "Mind if I join you?"

Natsu huffed and continued plucking flowers. Emily took this response as a yes and sat next to the disgruntled boy.

She picked a flower and began plucking its petals.

"I'm sorry." She apologized suddenly.

Natsu stopped plucking the flowers and gave the maid a curious stare.

"Sorry for what?"

"I know it's difficult being suddenly thrust into a new environment. Especially one as busy as this. It also doesn't help that myself and the rest of the staff have not been the most attnetive when it comes to you."

"I'm fine." Natsu curtly replied.

Emily giggled. "It's ok to be frightened. I won't tell anyone."

Natsu continued to pout.

"I know it may not seem like it, but everyone in the house is glad to have you here. It has been quite a while since we have dealt with a young man. It makes things…interesting."

"Really?" Natsu questioned. "But I've been so mean to everybody. You probably all want me to leave."

"That's not true in the slightest. Everyone in the Schnee household is one big family. We servants take care of you and the Young Mistress as if you were our own. Sure there may be times when we disagree on matters, but that is simply what families do. At the end of the day we do our jobs and we do them well. You may be moody and a tad crude."

Natsu grumbled.

"But you are still in our care." Emily continued. "Everyone in the house, myself, the Young Mistress, and yes even her Father - though he may not express it - all care for you, Natsu. You were brought to us for a reason, and I will do everything in my power to see that you grow into a mature, and healthy young man."

Natsu looked away, a light blush on his cheeks. "I didn't ask you to do that."

"I know." Emily smiled. "I just want to. I hate seeing a cute young boy like yourself waste away."

Natsu's blush deepend. Before he could say anything else a loud roar broke through the sky.

"What was that?!" Natsu shouted.

"It can't be…" Emily shuddered. "A Grimm?! This far in the grounds?!"

Next a shrill scream rang out.

"Young Mistress!" Emily gasped, recognizing the voice. "She's in the woods with that monster!"

Without hesitation Natsu stood up.

"We gotta save her!"

"No! You stay here! I will call the guards to take care of it." Emily grabbed the scroll from her apron pocket, and hurriedly dialed the number to the mansion guard. As soon as she pressed the button for the alarm Natsu sprinted off to the trees.

"Natsu, wait!" she called. "Come back here this instant!"

The young boy ignored Emily's desperate pleas and continued running ahead. When he arrived in the mini-forest he saw a Beowolf looming over a frightened Weissl. Just as Natsu started to move, his legs froze.

 _What's going on? I can't move._

Natsu had never seen a Grimm before. He had heard stories of them thanks to his tutors, but seeing a beast live and in the flesh was a completely different experience. The sharp claws. The drool oozing from it's massive jagged fangs. It's intimidating size. It's blood-curdling roar. It's eyes as red as blood. Just the sight of the monster terrified him.

 _I can't be scared!_ He clenched his little fists. _I have to save Weiss!_

His body refused to obey his commands. The only thing he could do at the moment was watch the beast stalk Weiss. It then drew back it's massive claw.

 _Move!_ Natsu shouted internally. _Move!_

Natsu's legs started to shake.

"Get away from me!" Weiss cried. She tripped over a rock and fell onto her butt, watching in horror as the Beowolf poised itself to attack. "Help me..." she cried. "Papa...Big Sister...Emily...Natsu!"

Hearing his name being shouted finally brought the young boy to action. His legs no longer quaking, he dashed ahead and tackled Weiss to the ground just as the monster's claw came down. The pair slid a small distance away from the beast, their ears ringing at its angered roar.

"Are you ok?!"

Natsu let up and looked down at Weiss. Her left eye was closed and covered in blood. Natsu surmised that it happened when they dodged the monster's strike. Weiss didn't seem to notice however because her focus was squarely on her savior.

"Natsu! You're bleeding! Are you hurt?!"

She reached to the cut on his neck. The blood dripping from it stained his scarf.

"I'm fine." He said quickly. "We have to get out of here. Can you run?"

"I'm too scared." Weiss began to tear up. Her legs were shaking worse than his were earlier.

"Don't cry. I'll just carry you."

Natsu scooped Weiss into his arms and started to run. The Beowolf gave chase.

"It's going to catch us!" Weiss cried, burying her face in Natsu's chest.

"Don't worry. I promise I won't let anything happen to you!"

Natsu ran out of the trees and into the field of flowers, the Beowolf still hot on his tail. Just before he reached the oak near the house, the Beowolf reached out and grabbed his leg.

Natsu tripped, dropping Weiss to the ground as he was lifted into the air.

"Weiss!" He called her name, but there was no response. The impact from the drop had knocked her unconscious.

Natsu hung upside down, finding himself face to face with the snarling Beowolf. The monster roared in his face, but Natsu was no longer afraid.

"Let! Me! Go!"

He flailed his arms around in a desperate bid for freedom. One of his punches connected, hitting the Beowolf right on its nose. The monster roared in pain, throwing the boy across the field in anger. Natsu rolled through the dirt, destroying numerous flowers before sliding to a stop.

He struggled to look up, watching as the Beowolf once again closed in on Weiss.

"Leave her alone!" he roared.

He made it to his feet and charged the beast, but was quickly swatted away. Even though every part of his body aching, Natsu somehow made it to his fee againt. He glared at the beast, challenging it to come at him once more.

"I'm not done, ugly."

The Beowolf roared and charged, incensed on finishing the stubborn boy once and for all. Natsu did the same.

As the two closed in on one another, Natsu drew back his fist. Feeling a surge of power build up within him, his arm ignited as he lunged forward with a searing hot punch to the monster's gut.

The Beowolf roared in agony as it lumbered back.

Natsu looked at his arm in astonishment. "What was that? My arm was on fire, but it didn't hurt." Suddenly the boy collapsed to his knees. _Crap. All my strength is gone._

The Beowolf was wounded by Natsu's attack, but it still managed to walk back to him. Its teeth gnashing in rage, it roared angrily into the sky, holding back its claws to deal the final blow.

Natsu tried to move, but he had no more strength left. His vision faded to black, and he fell onto his stomach unconscious. Leaving himself to be killed by the Grimm.

Just before the Grimm could land the killing blow, a red and black figure descended from the sky. In an instant the Grimm was cleaved in two.

A woman in a red and white mask straightened her posture as the Beowolf disintegrated into nothing. Her long red blade gleaming in the setting sun, she turned around and walked to the unconscious Natsu. She picked him up and laid him next to Weiss. She then knelt down next to him, her gloved hands softly running through his pink hair.

"Natsu?!"

"Young Mistress?!"

Hearing the calls of the Schnee House staff, the woman slashed her sword against the wind, opening a red and black portal. Before stepping through it, she gave Natsu one last glance.

"You did well."

She then left just before Emily and the others arrived, the portal closing behind her.

* * *

Natsu's eyes flitted open. After his vision cleared, he realized that he was staring up at the ceiling of his room.

"You're awake."

Natsu turned his head, seeing a young woman with light blue eyes and white hair tied in a bun – her bangs swept over her right eye. She patiently sat in a chair next to his bed, her hands resting in her lap.

"Weiss?" Natsu guessed.

The young woman lightly chuckled.

"Do we look that much alike?"

"Who are you?"

"I am Winter Schnee. Weiss' older sister. I don't believe you and I have met yet. My apologies. I knew that you would be living here at the house but I couldn't get away from school to properly welcome you."

"That's ok." Natsu said. "What happened?"

"You and Weiss were attacked by a Grimm in the garden."

"I know that. I mean how did I get here?"

"Emily brought you. You had quite the number of cuts and bruises on you. It's a wonder you're even awake right now."

"My head hurts."

"I can imagine. You took quite a beating. It's a good thing the Grimm retreated before the staff found you."

"The Grimm ran away?"

Winter nodded. "The beast was nowhere to be found. It must have went back the way it came."

This explanation didn't sound right to Natsu. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the Grimm preparing to kill him. There was no way a monster like that would have ran from a few servants. Lost in thought, Natsu finally realized something.

"Where's Weiss?! Is she ok?"

Winter pointed to Natsu's blanket. Confused the boy looked down and saw a weird lump next to him. Pulling back the blanket, Natsu saw Weiss curled up next to him. She slept peacefully, a group of cherry blossoms in her hand.

"She refused to leave your side." Winter said.

Natsu saw the bandage wrapped around Weiss' eye and started to frown.

"Don't worry." Winter reassured. "The doctor said she won't lose that eye. It will only leave a scar on the eye lid."

"That's good. What are the flowers for?"

"Those are yours. She said she was going to make them into something for you."

"Really?" Natsu reached for the flowers. When he grabbed them, Weiss started to stir.

"Big…brother…" she muttered. She nuzzled closer to him, the smile on her face growing.

"Looks like she's taken quite the liking to you." Winter noted with a grin.

Natsu smiled and stroked Weiss' hair. "Yeah…I guess she has."

"Welcome to our family, Natsu."

"Thanks."

* * *

Natsu walked the darkened halls of Beacon Academy, his dust powered lamp being his only source of light.

"Why did she want to meet so late?"

After returning to the dorm from his last class, Natsu was handed a note by Cinder. It was from Weiss. She instructed her brother to meet her in the school cafeteria at eight pm. Curious as to why his sister would leave him such an ominous note instead of telling him to his face, Natsu obliged.

"Maybe she wants to get a snack before bed."

Natsu soon approached the large double doors of the cafeteria. He opened them, his eyes focusing a small light emanating from the table where he and his friends usually sat during lunch time. Upon moving toward the table, he saw his sister sitting there with a wide smile.

"Good evening, Natsu. I'm glad you can make it."

Natsu sat across from his sister, confusion still etched on his face. "What's going on, Weiss? Why did you want me to come to the cafeteria?"

Weiss' smile morphed into a disappointed frown. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"Ok I won't."

The heiress sighed and grabbed the box that was sitting next to her. She placed it on the table between herself and Natsu and slowly opened the lid. Natsu's eyes went wide when saw a white cake with the words "Happy Family Anniversary" written in pink frosting.

While happy about the prospect of cake, Natsu was confused by the words written on it. "Family Anniversary?" he read in confusion.

"Do you honestly not remember what today is?" Weiss asked in disbelief.

Natsu shook his head.

"It's the anniversary of the day you came to live with us!"

Natsu's eyes opened in realization. "Oh yeah! I remember now."

"I would hope so. We do this every year."

"I guess after a while it just slipped my mind. I don't really need a day to reminding me that I was adopted."

"It's not about that." Weiss argued. "Today not celebrates the day you became a Schnee, but more importantly…it commemorates the day you and I became siblings."

Natsu was stunned. He never really thought of it that way before. For the past number of years this celebration was just something that Weiss did just because. He never really didn't think of the deeper meaning behind it. He just simply went along with whatever she had planned.

"I also remember you telling me when we were children that you never knew what was your birthday." Weiss said. "So I thought doing something like this each year would create that experience for you."

Natsu smiled at his sister. "Thanks, Weiss, but you really don't have to do this every year."

"I know, but I want to. You are my only brother after all." She stuck out her chest proudly. "Even you deserve a day of appreciation."

"Gee, thanks." Natsu replied sarcastically.

"You are most welcome." She smiled. "Now, shall we eat?"

"Let's dig in." Natsu smiled. "Happy Family Anniversary, Weiss."

Weiss returned his smile. "Happy Family Anniversary, Big Brother."

* * *

 _ **New chapter is up! After the craziness of the last one I wanted to cool down for a bit and give a little insight into how Natsu and Weiss met. As expected Natsu wasn't the most gracious kid, but he eventually softened. I also added Raven in there as well (Their connection will be explained later in the story). For the next one I will either do another transition chapter or go straight into volume 2. I haven't fully decided yet, but I may just go with the former since that will give me a better opportunity to develop the romantic relationship in the series.**_

 _ **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**_


	14. Winter Wonderland

Cinder's eyebrow was raised at her team leader.

"A winter resort?"

"Yeah." Natsu nodded. "My family owns this cabin in the mountains and Weiss made plans to go up there for the winter break with her friends. They already invited Team JNPR, so I was wondering if you guys wanted to go to."

"Could be fun." Mercury shrugged. All in all he sounded indifferent to the event. "I always wanted to try snowboarding."

"What do you think, Cinder?" Emerald asked.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Cinder grinned at Natsu. "I agree with Mercury. It does sound fun. We'll join you, Leader."

"Really?!" Natsu exclaimed with joy. "Awesome! I'll go let everyone know!" Natsu zipped out of the room.

"Is this really a good idea?" Emerald asked once Natsu was out of earshot. "Can we really afford to go hang out in the mountains with a bunch of kids?"

"I see no harm in indulging ourselves every once in a while." Cinder replied. "We're supposed to be posing as normal students after all. This is something that they do."

"But…"

"Roman can handle things until we return. Besides, it would be rude to deny our leader after he asked us so nicely. Wouldn't you say, Emerald?" Cinder's seemingly innocent smile held within it a maliciousness that Emerald knew all too well.

Unable to argue out of fear, Emerald nodded in compliance. "Yes. Sorry for my outburst."

"It's quite alright." Cinder said. "It's normal to be anxious in these types of situations. Think of this as an opportunity to learn more about our supposed 'comrades'."

* * *

"Are we there yet?!" Natsu groaned.

"We just got into the air." His sister deadpanned.

Aboard a private airship owned by the Schnee family, Teams RWBY, JNPR, and CRSN were well on the way to the Schnee family lodge in the Slepnir Mountains north of Vale. The teams rested in the rather spacious cabin of their transport. The ride was a relatively smooth one thanks to the somewhat sleek design of the ship reducing drag from the air resistance. Teams RWBY and JNPR conversed as they normally did, but Team CMSN was - as expected - standoffish; choosing to sequester themselves in a corner a short distance away from the others.

"Should we say something to them?" Ruby asked her sister. "This is really awkward."

"I don't know. I mean…I guess so." Yang turned to the team's leader "They're your team, Natsu. What should we say?"

The pinkette responded to Yang's question with an anguished, deathly moan. He was clearly in no condition to answer questions - or do much of anything really.

Natsu felt his stomach turning over and over again in his body. No matter how hard he trained he would never be able to defeat the hated foe known as motion sickness. He'd had this ailment since he was a child, and for the life of him he couldn't remember how it started. All he knew was that it made riding any form of vehicle a death trap. Unfortunately for him vehicles were not going away anytime soon.

Natsu leaned over in his seat, his head dully falling into the lap of an unsuspecting Blake.

"What are you doing?! Get off of me!" she shrieked.

Natsu either ignored or didn't hear her demands and continued to groan, his arms wrapped around his stomach.

Seeing the amount of pain he was in caused Blake's face to soften.

"Fine you can stay there for a little while…" she looked away, her cheeks turning pink. "But you better not puke on me, understand?"

"Thanks…" Natsu muttered.

Pyrrha - who sat across from the pair - couldn't stop her eyes from falling into her own lap. It was barren, and just a tad cold from the metal of the seat beneath her legs . As she watched Natsu tranquil rest on Blake, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

"Hello! Remnant to Pyrrha! You in there?!"

The redhead was brought out of her head by Nora. When she looked up she saw her teammates standing before her.

"You alright?" Jaune asked.

"Y-yes. I'm fine." Pyrrha answered with a nod. "I was just daydreaming. Have we arrived at our destination?"

"We're going to introduce ourselves to Natsu's team." Ren answered. "Care to join us?"

"That sounds wonderful."

Team JNPR walked to where the rest of Team CMSN were seated. Mercury was sleeping, but Emerald and Cinder were wide awake.

"Hello." Cinder greeted with a smile.

"Hey how's it going?" Jaune waved. "I don't know if we've introduced ourselves yet. We're Team JNPR. I'm Jaune. This is Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha."

"Hello~!" Nora sang.

"It is nice to meet you." Ren bowed.

"Hello." Pyrrha waved.

"We are aware of your team." Cinder replied. "Our leader has told us a lot about you. Still it is nice to get a proper introduction. I am Cinder Fall. That is Emerald Sustrai, and the one sleeping is Mercury Black."

"Hey." Emerald greeted.

Mercury snorted in his sleep.

Cinder looked to Pyrrha. "If it's not too much to ask, Ms. Nikos, may I shake your hand? I'm quite familiar with your exploits at Sanctum Academy. You could say that I am a fan."

Cinder held out her hand and Pyrrha did the same, but as soon as they touched the redhead felt an odd tingling sensation in the back of her head. What was that?

"Ms. Nikos?" Cinder called. "Is everything alright?"

Pyrrha returned to the present with a slight start. "Yes, just a case of vertigo." she smiled in assurance. "Thank you for the support, but my days at Sanctum are behind me. Right now I'm more focused on doing the best that I can at Beacon."

"Of course. I meant no disrespect." Cinder apologized. "I'm from Mistral myself so it was hard not to hear about the famed 'prodigy from Sanctum.' I found myself a tad starstruck."

Pyrrha started to blush as she let go of Cinder's hand. "T-thank you again."

"No thank you. Not many survive that school's rigorous curriculum. The fact that you not only made it out, but did so at the top of your class is nothing short of amazing. I'm honored that I am finally able to meet you in person."

"The pleasure is mine." Pyrrha returned. While she was thankful of the praise given to her, Pyrrha much preferred that people didn't talk about her exploits before Beacon. She wanted to start fresh, but maybe that was expecting a bit too much.

"I don't wanna be rude, but why did you guys decide to come along?" Jaune asked Cinder.

"Yeah we don't see you guys around school much." Nora added. "We were starting to think you were all ghosts or something."

"Our class schedule prevents us from seeing much of other students I'm afraid." Cinder answered apologetically. "Though to answer your question, we're here at the behest of our leader. He was really eager to invite us along, and it would be a shame of us to disappoint him seeing as how we rarely see one another."

"That makes sense." Jaune accepted. "Well we'll get out of your hair. We'll talk to you again when we land."

"We'll be waiting. It was nice meeting you all." Cinder waved goodbye as Team JNPR returned to their seats.

Pyrrha briefly looked over her shoulder to Cinder. When their eyes met she felt that strange tingling again. She then looked down to the hand that she used to shake Cinder's. _What was that odd sensation?_

"Pyrrha Nikos." Cinder said to herself. "Continue to monitor her. She should prove to be interesting."

"Right." Emerald opened her scroll and dragged a picture of Pyrrha into a folder labeled "Potentials".

* * *

"Finally!"

Natsu ran out of the landed aircraft like a man possessed. Elated to finally be back on solid ground, the pinkete leapt into a blanket of pure white snow and made an angel. Thanks to his naturally high body temperature the snow barely gave him so much as a chill.

"How can he run round in this cold weather?" Jaune shivered. Unlike the others, he forgot to bring a coat.

"Well they say that idiots don't catch colds." Yang chuckled.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted. "I heard that!"

"Is that the cabin?"

Blake pointed to a two story log cabin just ahead from where their aircraft landed. As expected it was huge; its size almost half that of Beacon's dormitory.

"Yes it is." Weiss proudly answered.

She stepped in front of the group with her hands on her hips and her chest poked out in pride. "This is just one of many vacation homes that the Schnee family claims residency in Remnant. This one is built with state-of-the-art dust heating and cooling system, seven luxury bedrooms, four full size bathrooms, a spacious dining area, a game room that doubles as a home theater, and a kitchen filled with the freshest ingredients in all of Remnant as well as top of the line refrigeration and cooking equipment as well as the best chefs in the entire continent. The best part of it is that is located within walking distance of the Slepnir Mountains Winter Park and Resort!"

"Whoa." Jaune marveled.

"Really? The Slepnir Winter Park?!" Ruby gasped. "I've always wanted to go there! The magazines said this place has the best skiing trails in the world! And the best food!"

Natsu rose up from the ground, heating his body to melt the lingering snow off. "I haven't been here in forever."

"This place sounds awesome!" Nora exclaimed.

"It certainly a lot of amenities." Pyrrha said.

"As expected of the illustrious Schnee family." Cinder grinned.

Weiss and Natsu lead their friends inside the cabin. Upon entry they were delightfully greeted by a score of maids and butlers. All waiting for them at the staircase.

"Welcome back, Mistress Weiss and Master Natsu! Welcome, honored guests!"

"Can we stay here forever?" Ruby asked aloud.

As the staff took the groups's bags and coats, a slightly older maid with glasses and long brown hair tied in a braid walked to the group. Weiss and Natsu recognized her instantly.

"Emily!" Natsu greeted with a wide smile.

"I had no idea that you were here." Weiss said in shock.

The head maid smiled. "When I found out the two of you were coming I assigned myself here. One of the perks of being the head maid. I will be here for the duration of your stay." She looked past the siblings to the rest of the group. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your guests?"

"Of course." Weiss stepped aside and introduced the others. "Emily: This is Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Belladonna, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black."

"It is pleasure to meet all of you." Emily curtsied. "I am Emily fee Marraine. The Schnee Family Head Maid."

"Nice to meet you too." Ruby smiled.

"Thank you for having us." Blake bowed.

"Yes. It was most kind of you." Cinder echoed.

"We really appreciate it." Jaune added.

"Yes. Thank you." Pyrrha said.

"It is no trouble. Any friend of Mistress Weiss and Master Natsu is more than welcome here." The maid smiled.

"Emily pretty much raised us when Dad wasn't around." Natsu explained. "Without her I probably wouldn't even be here."

Emily blushed. "Oh stop you are embarrassing me."

"Where is Winter?" Weiss asked. "I thought she meeting us here."

"That is the other reason I came." Emily revealed. "Mistress Winter said that something happened at her job and she could not make the trip. She sends her sincerest apologies."

"Oh." Weiss slumped in disappointment.

"That's too bad." Natsu said facetiously. Part of him was as disappointed as Weiss at not seeing his older sister, but a bigger part of him was relieved. Without Winter around he wouldn't have to worry about someone constantly looking over his shoulder.

"You must all be famished from your trip." Emily said, clapping her hands together. "Why don't you all settle in while the cooks and I prepare dinner?"

"Yeah I'm starving!" Natsu shouted.

"Me too!" Ruby raised her hand.

"Me three!" Nora echoed.

Emily giggled. "We'll move as fast as we can."

* * *

In each of the six bedrooms of the cabin there were two queen size beds - the only king size was located in the master bedroom on the other side of the cabin. Everyone split into pairs by team and by gender, meaning that the girls slept in one room and the boys - even though there were only four - slept in another. Natsu and Mercury's room was between rooms shared by the members of Team RWBY. However the pinkette was currently in the room at the end of the hall.

"That's the last of it." Natsu wiped his hands clean after placing the last of Cinder's bags on the floor.

"Thank you, leader." Cinder said. "Sorry for making you go through so much trouble."

"It's no problem." Natsu smiled. "You sure you and Emerald will be ok in here? This room is pretty far from everyone else."

"Yes we will be fine. I like the view of the sunset from this window. It's quite soothing."

"Oh." Natsu looked out of the window to the setting sun Cinder was talking about. "I guess it is."

"Shall we go outside?"

"Huh? Uh yeah. Ok."

The two walked onto the balcony and sat down in the wicker chairs set up there. Cinder was bundled in her light brown winter coat, while Natsu seemed comfortable in his regular clothes.

"You really don't get cold." She giggled.

"My body temperature has always been pretty high. So it takes a lot more than this to make me get a chill."

"Is an elevated body temperature part of your Semblance?"

"As far as I can tell."

Cinder was confused.

"What do you mean 'as far as you can tell'? Do you not know what a Semblance is?"

"I know what it is." Natsu retorted. "…I just don't know if I have one."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"I've always been able to heat - and sometimes burn - things I touch if I wanted to. Sometimes I can even make fire." Natsu demonstrated this ability by creating a small flame in his hand.

Cinder wasn't too impressed by the display - she could do the same thing just as easily - but for curiosity's she indulged the pinkette.

"What is that if not your Semblance?"

"…I don't know. To be honest I never even had an Aura until the initiation trial. Pyrrha helped me out. When she touched me I felt this huge rush of power burst out of me. Next thing I knew I was surrounded by all of this fire, but it didn't hurt. It actually felt kinda good, but somehow I knew that it wasn't a semblance or an aura. Can I tell you a secret?"

"By all means."

"Sometimes...I don't think I belong here. Have you ever had the feeling that you were different from everyone you've ever met? Like you just don't fit in anywhere?"

Cinder nodded. "Yes. I have. I think everyone feels like that to certain extent. It's a normal feeling of adolescence. "

"No I don't mean like 'I don't belong at school' or 'no one understands me' or stuff like that. I mean this whole world. It just feels...off to me."

"Are you saying that you'd rather be dead?"

"What? No way. Nothing that crazy. I guess I just feel outta place at times. I have these dreams. I'm in this field in the middle of a forest. There's kids there. A woman and a man too. I can never clearly make out their faces or voices, but I know that the place in my dream is not anywhere in Remnant. It's like it's a whole 'nother planet or something."

Cinder sat in silence as Natsu continue to vent his anxieties. She wondered why he was unloading all of this information onto her.

This sort of conversation was a new experience. A wholly selfish person, Cinder Fire only valued one thing in the world: strength. She would do anything to achieve it. Eliminate anyone standing in her way. Manipulate those whose wills were weak to help her reach her goals. Those she perceived as weak – whether mental or physical - were nothing but bugs to be stepped on or pawns to be sacrificed.

Somehow Natsu was different.

From the moment she laid eyes on him she knew this was true. The fire he conjured during the initiation. That beautiful blaze that lit up her eyes like nothing ever had before stirred something inside. She knew at that moment she would have him. He would be at her side like Mercury and Emerald. His power hers to command however she saw fit. That was his only purpose.

However as time rolled on Cinder slowly realized that she could not force him to do anything, or rather she didn't want to. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, Cinder resolved that she would do anything to make him hers, but at the same time wanted him to come to her of his own volition - though in the back of her mind she would use force if necessary. This feeling...this thought of giving someone else control was frightening and foreign to her...but she didn't hate it. In fact it was sort of exhilirating.

"Cinder?"

The dark-haired young woman snapped back to reality, her eyes meeting Natsu's slightly worried stare.

"You alright?" he asked. "You kinda zoned out for a second."

"Y-yes. I am fine."

The pair looked out as the sun descended further into the snow covered mountains.

"I've always loved watching the setting sun." she said. "The way the rays filter over the horizon and the sky. It's like the world is on fire. I find it beautiful."

"It is nice. I never really paid attention to it before."

Soon the sun was gone and the day turned to night, signaling the end of Natsu and Cinder's time together.

"Guess that's my cue." Natsu stood up from his chair and stretched. "I'll go see if dinner is ready."

"Thank you again for your help, Leader."

"Could you stop calling me that?"

"I'm sorry. Does it irritate you?"

"It's not that. It's just we've been teammates for a while and you haven't called me by my name yet. Makes me feel like we aren't friends."

Cinder's eyes widened. "Friends?"

"Yeah. I mean we are friends right?"

Cinder regained herself and answered his question. "Y-yes. We are. We're friends."

"Awesome. I'm gonna check on the food. I'll come back and get if it's done."

"Alright. Thank you...Natsu."

He smiled wide at her before exiting the door. Not long after Emerald and Mercury entered the room.

"This place sure is swanky." Mercury complimented with a whistle.

"Yeah. Clean rooms, nice staff, and plenty of stuff to steal." Emerald grinned as she tossed a few gems around in her hand. They were originally stored in the cabin's safe inside the game room with various other valuables. "Are you alright, Cinder?"

"What do you mean? I"m fine."

"Your face." Mercury pointed.

"What?" Cinder looked to the mirror across from her bed and was surprised by her reflection.

She was smiling...happily.

* * *

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu breathed a small stream of fire into the sky from atop the ski slope.

"Must you be so loud?" His sister hissed. "You're embarrassing us."

"Don't be so uptight, Weiss." Ruby said.

"Yeah. We're all excited." Yang smiled, her snowboard firmly in hand.

After eating breakfast the next morning the group decided to go to Slepnir Mountain resort. It was quite the sight to behold. Boasting numerous trails, an ice skating area, a huge indoor buffet, and various other features befitting an award winning vacation spot. Everyone was noticeably impressed.

"So what do we do first?" Jaune asked the group.

"Nora, Mercury, and I are going snowboarding." Yang said.

"Yeah!" the orange-haired girl exclaimed. "Come with us, Ren."

"I'll pass." He declined. "I'm going to ice skate."

"I'm going to the top of the trail and ski." Ruby said.

"Mind if we accompany you?" Cinder asked. She and Emerald stepped forward.

"The more the merrier." She smiled.

"I'll going to ice skate as well." Weiss spoke up.

"Of course you are." Yang muttered.

"I heard that."

Natsu pointed behind himself to the resort lodge. "I'm gonna try out the buffet."

"It's barely been an hour since breakfast." Weiss said.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry."

"I'm going go to the lodge too." Blake said. "I'm not really a fan of snow and stuff."

"Then I guess that settles that." Jaune said. "I'll go ice skating with Weiss and the others. You wanna come Pyrrha?"

"S-sure." she apprehensively accepted. "That sounds like it would be fun."

"Meet back here around three o'clock?" Ruby suggested. Everyone agreed to these terms and went their separate ways.

"Race you to the bottom!" Yang shouted to Mercury and Nora before taking off down the slope.

"You're on!" Mercury accepted.

"Whee!" Nora shouted down the slope.

"I think the lifts are back that way." Ruby pointed to a station not far from the lodge.

"Lead the way." Cinder said.

"We're right behind ya." Emerald added.

* * *

"Man that food sure hit the spot." Natsu patted his stomach with a satisfied grin as he walked through the lodge lobby - picking in between his teeth with a toothpick.

Ignoring the shocked stares of the other resort patrons – who had just seen him devour nearly the entire buffet by himself – Natsu approached a coach in front of the large fire place. There he saw Blake with her nose firmly planted in a book.

"You're still here?" he asked.

"Like I said. I'm not really a fan of snow." She replied, not looking up from her book.

Natsu noticed something odd about the book Blake was reading. Some of the pages – more specifically the ones she was currently on – were more worn and dsicolored than the others.

"What are you reading?"

Blake's bow twitched at the question.

"The same book I've been reading." Blake closed the book and held it closer to her body to protect it. "You know it's kind of hard to read with you lurking over my shoulder like that."

"Let me see." Natsu reached for the book, but Blake quickly scampered to the edge of the end of the couch.

"I'll let you see it when I'm done."

Natsu followed after her. "Come on, Blake. I promise I won't mess it up."

"I said no. Now go away."

Natsu and Blake played a game cat and mouse for the book – with Blake ironically enough being the mouse. She tried in vain to keep away – even using her semblance to create clones – but Natsu was too persistent. Eventually he prevailed in their game, snatching the book away from Blake.

"Give that back!" the faunus demanded. "Right now! I'm serious, Natsu!"

"I just want to see it." Natsu said. "What's the big deal?"

"I said give it back!"

Blake swiped at Natsu, accidentally scratching him and causing the book to drop on the floor. When the book hit the ground it opened up, the mismatched pages spilling out.

"I'm so sorry." Blake apologized as she looked at Natsu's wound. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. You barely scratched me. I'm not even bleeding.I dropped the book."

When Natsu saw the book on the ground his eyes widened. He picked up the loose papers from the ground and examined them closely. They were detailed notes on Torchwick and the White Fang. All of the papers contained information on everything Blake knew about them during her time with the group, as well as the details of the operation on the docks a couple of weeks ago.

"I told you to leave it alone!"

Blake snatched the papers away from Natsu, picked up her book, and turned her back to him. "Will you go away now, please?"

"I thought you weren't worried about the White Fang anymore?"

"How could I not be?!" she snapped, turning back around. "They're somewhere out there plotting their next move with Torchwick! They aren't just gonna standby and let us play around in the snow! We have to be ready for them!"

"Kitty…"

Once Natsu said her nickname Blake started to calm down. She didn't know why, but hearing that name from him always managed to soothe her. Maybe it was because he only said it when they were alone. That was what they agreed on. They would only call each other by their childhood nicknames when no one else was around. Mostly because Blake was embarrassed by it and din't want rumors spreading around.

Blake took a deep breath and reset herself.

"I'm sorry. I know I should be relaxing and having fun with all of you, but I can't shake the uneasiness I feel. I know something is going to happen, but I don't know when. It's frustrating."

Natsu placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Blake craned her neck upward, her eyes meeting Natsu's warm smile.

"I told you before. Whatever those guys are planning. We'll stop it. Right?"

Blake felt herself smile. "Yeah. You're right."

"You gonna join the rest of us? It's a vacation. Enjoy yourself."

"After I finish this book."

"Ok then. See you out there." Natsu let go of Blake and made his way to the exit.

"Thank you, Sally."

"Anytime." he waved.

* * *

Natsu briefly thought of going skiing or snowboarding upon exiting the lodge, but he got queasy as soon as he saw the lift travel the wire overhead to the slopes. He would have rather died than ride that thing. He was already dreading the air ride back to Beacon as it was so he saw no reason to take another ride on a vehicle if he didn't have to. Seeing no other option, he decided to ice skate with Weiss' group.

However, when he reached the frozen lake he saw a curious sight. Skating on the lake were his sister, Jaune, and Ren, but seated on a bench by herself was a very familiar redhead.

"Pyrrha?"

The warrior prodigy looked over her shoulder to the pinkette.

"Oh, Natsu." She smiled. "How was your meal?"

"Good." Natsu took a seat next to her. "Why aren't skating with the everybody else? Why are you here by yourself?"

"I have a stomach ache."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "A stomach ache?" he skeptically repeated.

"Yes." Pyrrha nodded quickly. "It must have been something I ate during breakfast, but you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine here. You join the others and have fun."

Natsu stared at the redhead in silence, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"W-what is it?" she stammered. "Why are you staring at me like that? It's rude you know."

"You don't know how to ice skate do you?" Natsu accused.

The normally composed Pyrrha's cheeks flushed red. "Of course I know how!" she yelped. "I told you I have stomach ache."

After a few more seconds of Natsu's silent stare, Pyrrha finally gave up on her charade.

"Yes. You're right. I don't know how to ice skate." She admitted. "I detest lying. It's just that it's embarrassing not knowing how to do something so simple like ice skating. Everyone expects me to know how to do everything, and I try living up to those expectations. I hate letting people down. I didn't want to ask the others because I would have felt like a burden to them."

"So you can't do one thing." Natsu shrugged. "I can't ride moving vehicles. It's not that big of a deal. Doesn't change the person you are. Not everybody can do everything. You should really stop worrying about what other people think all the time. You'll just end up stressed out."

Pyrrha couldn't argue with that logic, but at the same time she found it hard to just change her demeanor at the drop of a hat.

Natsu stood up from the bench and held out his hand to the redhead. She looked at him with a curious expression.

"What are you doing?"

Natsu smiled wide. "I'm going to teach you how to ice skate."

Pyrrha was caught off-guard. "You know how to ice skate?"

"Yeah. My older sister taught me when I was kid. I'm not as good as Weiss though. Come on."

Pyrrha smiled and placed her hand in Natsu's.

"Ok. I'm in your hands."

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Natsu?"

"Positive. I'm right behind you so there's nothing to worry about."

"O-ok. Here I go."

Pyrrha slowly stuck out her leg and tentatively stepped on the ice. Once she was confident enough she moved her other foot.

"Good job." Natsu congratulated. He was currently skating backwards to face her. "Your balance is gonna be weird at first so just stick your arms like this to steady yourself." He demonstrated by holding out his arms at his side.

Pyrrha mimicked her teacher. "Like this?"

"Yeah. Like that. Just keep steady."

"Ok." Pyrrha looked down at her feet.

"Look at me." Natsu said. "If you look down you'll fall. You gotta let your body balance on its own."

"Right." Pyrrha looked up, but as soon as her eyes reached Natsu's she lost her balance.

The pinkette caught her just before she hit the ice.

"Thank you."

"No problem." Natsu helped Pyrrha to her feet. "That's going to happen a lot since this is your first time, but it's no biggie. We all did it. Try it again. This time I want you to slowly skate to me."

"Ok." The readhead nodded.

With her arms out and her eyes forward, Pyrrha shakily started to move towards her teacher.

"You got it. Almost there." Natsu encouraged.

Pyrrha unsteadily inched towards Natsu. When she was fingertip away she fell over again. This time on her butt.

"Ow." she grimaced.

"You alright?" Natsu helped to her feet again.

"Yes. This is much harder than it looks. It's kind of frustrating."

Natsu laughed. It was kind of fun seeing the "Great Pyrrha Nikos" get upset about learning something new. She looked cute when irritated. "Yeah I know. When Winter was teaching me his stuff I wanted to melt the whole rink. It just takes practice. You'll get the hang of it"

Pyrrha looked over Natsu's shoulder to his sister. Weiss effortlessly glided along the ice like a professional figure skater. She leapt, spun, and performed complex maneuvers that Pyrrha could never dream of doing. It was mesmerizing.

"Ready to go again?" Natsu asked.

"Yes." she nodded. Her vigor restored.

Despite falling over numerous times – earning quite a few bumps and bruises in the process – Pyrrha Nikos refused to quit. She would master this if it was the last thing she did. This wasn't just for fun anymore, this was now a matter of personal pride. If she let something like this beat her, how could she face her friends…how could she face Natsu?

Every time she fell he was right there to pick her up. A wide smile on his face for her eyes and an encouraging word for her ears. No matter how many times she failed he never got frustrated or angry. He simply told her that she would do better next time and helped her up. Unlike everything else in her life, there was no pressure to be perfect. No high expectations to live up to. No scouts or teachers she had to impress. It was simply her and Natsu, and that was how she liked it.

Jaune watched the pair from afar. As they laughed and talked, he started to form ideas in his head. Just then Weiss skated by. Right on time.

"Hey, Weiss. I just want to let you know that you can count on me to catch you if you ever fall."

He tried sounding as suave as possible, but as usual his attempt at charm fell as flat as the ice they were skating on.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage just fine on my own." As she said this, the heiress performed a triple spin in the air, landed on her back foot, and started to skate backwards.

"Ok. Well I'm still here if you-whoa!" Not watching where he was going, Jaune tripped on a rock and landed face first into a snow bank.

"Are you alright?" Ren asked his leader as he skated by.

"I'm ok!" Jaune muffled.

"You're almost there!" Natsu held out his hand to Pyrrha as she skated towards him. "You got it!"

The redhead reached out when she was close enough, her hand grabbing Natsu's. "I did it!"

Natsu rewarded her a thumbs up and a smile. "Good job!" Just then he lost his footing.

Pulling Pyrrha down with him, Natsu landed back first on the ice; the redhead falling on top of him.

Pyrrha quickly sat up. "Oh my gosh, Natsu! Are you ok?!"

"Yeah." The pinkette groaned - trying his best to ignore the pain shooting through his back. "I'm good. What about you?"

"I'm ok."

"That's good." he smiled.

The pair shared a laugh before their eyes set on each other. They had finally taken notice of the position they were in. Their mouths were so close that they could kiss with most subtle of movements. Part of Pyrrha wanted to.

 _He smells nice._ She thought. _And he's warm. I can feel his heat through my coat._

Were her eyes always that green? Natsu wondered.

After a few more moments the pair regained their senses and quickly separated. They on the ice with their backs to each other, with cheeks red from embarrassment.

"I think that's enough for today." Natsu spoke up.

"Yes. I think so too." Pyrrha nodded. "Let's get off the ice."

Just as the two stepped back onto the snow, Natsu was hit in the face with a snow ball.

"Who threw that?!" he demanded.

"You were looking a little hot so I thought that would help cool you off a bit."

Natsu and Pyrrha saw Yang standing on the left edge of the rink with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Don't tell me you can't handle a wittle snow, bubblegum head." She teased.

"You asked for it." Natsu scooped up some snow. "Ready, Pyrrha?"

The redhead made her own snowball. "Yes."

Yang took off and the pair chased after her. They threw their snowballs, but they missed.

"You're going to have to try better than that!" Yang taunted. She jumped down a hill.

"Get back here!" Natsu shouted. When he and Pyrrha reached the edge hill they saw Yang standing at the bottom.

"Nora, now!" She yelled.

"You got it!"

Natsu and Pyrrha looked past Yang and saw Nora standing next to a catapult made out of cut trees. On the low end was a massive snow ball. Natsu and Pyrrha's eyes went wide in horror when Nora held up her Magnhild hammer. With a sadistic smile on her face the most excitable member of Team JNPR slammed her mighty weapon down on the raised end of the catapult, shooting the snowball into the air.

Natsu and Pyrrha braced themselves, but were surprised when the snowball flew over them.

"Looks like our math was off by a couple of degrees." Yang said.

"Dang!" Nora angrily shouted with a snap of her fingers.

"That was a close one." Natsu sighed in relief. "Now let's finish this!"

"Umm...Natsu."

Pyrrha tugged on her partner's shirt sleeve and directed him to the still airborne snowball. It may have flown over them, but it was now heading straight for Weiss - who had momentarily stopped skating to check her scroll.

"Weiss, look out!" Natsu shouted.

"Hm?" The heiress looked up in horror to see the giant snowball eclipsing the sun. Unable to escaped, she screamed in terror as the snowball crashed down on her.

"Weiss!" Natsu ran to his sister, but stopped short when he saw the snow covering her start to shake.

The large ball broke apart into smaller ones, all of them floating around a now enraged Weiss – who was now wielding Myrtenaster.

"Natsu…" She snarled.

"H-hold on!" Natsu pleaded. "It wasn't me, Weiss! I swear! I-it was Yang and Nora and-!"

Before he could finish his explanation, he was buried in a mound of snow.

* * *

"That was fun!" Ruby smiled. She, Cinder, and Emerald descended the hill back to the lodge after finishing the ski trail.

"Yes it was." Cinder agreed.

"What's going on over there?" Emerald pointed to the ice skating rink. There the three saw the others engaged in a fierce snowball fight. Natsu, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Jaune were on one side, while Ren, Yang, Mercury, and Nora were on the other.

Ruby's eyes lit up. "A snowball fight!" she squealed. "Come on, guys! Let's join in!"

"I'm afraid we'll pass." Cinder said. "We've had enough excitement for one day."

Ruby shrugged. "Suit yourself." She ran off to join the fray with a gleeful laugh, quickly joining her sister's side of the war.

"You can join them if you wish." Cinder said to Emerald. "I don't mind. This is a vacation after all. Mercury seems to be enjoying himself."

"Of course he is." Emerald scoffed. "He's so simple."

Cinder smirked. "So be it. Come along. We have things to discuss."

"Yes, Cinder."

Just as the pair entered the lodge, Blake came out. Just like Cinder and Emerald before her, she was completely baffled by the snowball war.

"What in the world…?"

"Blake!" Natsu called. "Help us out! We're pinned down over here! We need backup!"

"Don't listen to him!" Yang said. "If you join us we can finally put an end to the pink menace and his treacherous sister!"

"Hey!" Weiss shouted in offense.

Blake – while thinking the entire situation was ridiculous – decided to take Natsu's words from earlier to heart and enjoy herself. After a few seconds of weighing her options she picked up a snowball and threw it at Ren, hitting square him in the face and knocking him to the ground. This attack signaled her defection to Natsu's side.

"Ren's down!" Nora shouted to her comrades. "Hang in there, Ren! Don't go into the light!"

"I'm not dead." he deadpanned.

"Nice one!" Natsu praised Blake. "Now we'll win for sure!"

"Et tu, Blake?" Ruby said in disappointment.

"Sorry." The faunus apologized with a shrug. "I like to help out the underdogs."

"But you're a cat!"

"Enough of this!" Yang stood up from behind her team's snow barrier and pointed to Team Natsu's fort. "It's time to put an end to this was once and for all! All Units, charge!"

"Ready?!" Natsu shouted to his troops.

"Yeah!" they exclaimed.

"This our last stand! Let's show them what we're made of!"

The two warring groups ran at each other with snow balls in their hands, and confident smiles on their faces.

* * *

After almost a week of adventure, the final night at the cabin had come. Tomorrow the students would be right back at Beacon reluctantly getting ready for the next term. Most of them weren't too keen on the idea of returning to school, but they eventually got over it. No matter how much they wanted it to, they knew this trip wouldn't last forever.

Natsu yawned, scratching his pajama covered butt as he walked the dimly lit halls of the cabin on his way back from the bathroom. Everyone else had fallen asleep, or so he thought.

His ears picking up a faint noise coming from the game room, Natsu walked over to the door. He saw that it was cracked and peeked inside. The TV was on.

 _Who left that on?_

Just then Yang poked her head from the other side of the couch.

"Hey, Natsu, what's up?" she waved. "Did I wake you? The TV too loud?"

"No." Natsu rubbed his eyes and walked inside. "I had to use the bathroom. Why are you still up?"

"Ruby and I were trying to watch some of the movies in here before we left tomorrow. You guys have a huge collection. You even got Bloodgame IV. They only made like 100 copies of those."

"Ruby's here?" Natsu walked to the other side of the couch and found his question answered when he saw the leader of Team RWBY fast asleep. Her head firmly nestled on her sister's lap.

"She fell asleep about ten minutes into the first movie. She never was one for all-nighters. What about you? Wanna join me?" she patted the empty space next to her. "A spot just opened up."

Natsu shrugged " Why not?" He took Yang's offer and sat next to her, the large television screen before them playing "Obliterator: Rebeginning".

Yang held a bowl towards Natsu. "Popcorn?"

"Thanks." The pinkette grabbed a handful and ate some.

"These movies have been going downhill since the second one." Yang said just as a car exploded on screen. "They stopped caring about the story a long time ago. The TV show based on it wasn't that bad though."

"If it's so bad then why are we watching it?" Natsu questioned before eating more of his popcorn.

"The effects are nice."

Another car blew up on screen.

"I will return." The cyborg man on screen said as he cocked his shotgun.

Natsu never really got the appeal of movies that much. He rather blow something up himself than see someone else do it. That being said even he got a little excited from time to time when things he thought were cool happened on screen.

"I had fun here." Yang said. "Thanks for inviting all of us."

"Yeah. Me too." Natsu nodded. "And you don't have to thank me. It was Weiss' idea."

"I know but still. We should do this again. I'll definitely win the snowball war next time."

"Sounds good to me." Natsu smiled. "I'm always ready for a rematch."

* * *

Emily wandered into the game room with a look of displeasure.

"Now who left this TV on?" she asked no one. "Honestly these kids are…" Before she turned off the screen, she was caught off-guard by the sight of Natsu, Yang and Ruby sleeping soundly on the couch. Ruby rested on Yang's lap, while the blonde's head was propped on Natsu's shoulder - his head was also on hers.

Emily smiled. _It would be wrong to wake them._

She grabbed a couple of blankets from the closet and brought them to the trio. The first one she laid across Ruby, and the second one she wrapped around both Natsu and Yang. She then turned off the TV.

"Goodnight, Master Natsu." Emily whispered with a smile. She quietly exited the room, slowly closing the door.

* * *

 **New chapter up! I decided to another tie-in chapter at the spur of the moment, turned a bit longer than I planned but I think it worked in the end. For those wondering the last name "fee Marraine" is french for Fairy Godmother. A bit odd i know, but I thought it fit with Emily's personality.**

 **I also tried to give some moments for Pyrrha and explore Cinder's mindset for Natsu a bit more.**

 **Also, yes as explained in this chapter, Natsu does have vague memories of Earthland but they're mostly relegated to dreams right now. That probably won't be further expanded until Vol. 3 maybe a bit later. As for now, the next chapter starts Vol. 2 so hopefully you will enjoy that.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	15. Infiltration

The sun was high in the sky, the air was clean, and the birds sang their songs as they soared through the blue. It was a beautiful day in the city of Vale.

As the newest crop of students eagerly exited the Bullhead and stepped onto the grounds of Beacon Academy, three individuals – Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai – took their time disembarking, taking in all of the scenery around them. They had travelled a long way from the country of Mistral. This would be their first time in Vale. So far they weren't too impressed.

"So this is the place." Emerald said.

"Yes." Cinder nodded. "Beacon Academy. The supposed paradise that Ozpin created for the people of this country."

"Doesn't look all that special to me." Mercury scoffed.

"Appearances aren't everything, Mercury." Cinder said. "The power that we seek is within these walls."

"Yeah, speaking of that, do we know where the thing is?"

"Not quite, but there will be plenty of time to find out before the plan is put into motion. Come. Let's get acquainted with our new school."

The three walked the stone path towards the amphitheater. Though they avoided eye contact with the othet students roaming the grounds, they could hear the shouts of very disgruntled girl in the distance.

"Do you have any idea the damage you could have caused?!"

"Calm down, Weiss." The voice attempting to calm her belonged to a young man.

"You stay out of this!"

"…Uh."

"Wonder what's going on over there." Mercury said with mild curiosity.

"It's not our concern." Cinder replied.

* * *

Cinder sat alone in the locker room, away from the chatter of the other students around her as they all awaited the start of the initiation. While they established relationships and conversed amongst themselves – as students their age are won't to do – Cinder could not control the disdain in her stare or the hate in her heart.

 _"When I look amongst you, all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose…your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only get you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."_

The young woman's eyes narrowed as she recalled Ozpin's speech during the assembly in the amphitheater.

"Such arrogance." She uttered. "He thinks his hollow words will spurn these children to become heroes, but all he is doing is preparing them to become martyrs." She clenched her fists in her anger, her eyes looking over to the rest of the students in the locker room. "Shameful."

Just then Mercury and Emerald approached her.

"You alright, Boss?" Mercury asked.

Cinder relaxed. "I am fine. Did you two find anything?"

"Not yet." Emerald reported. "It's just like last night. This place is a fortress. If there isn't a guard on the corner, there's a security system shutting us out. There is definitely something here they don't want be found by students."

"Of course." Cinder stood up from her seat. "Men like Ozpin always possess secrets in the name of 'safety'. In truth they're just cowards too afraid to use the power given to them."

"So what do we do now?" Mercury asked. "Not like we can just break into every safe here. We'll be found out."

"We'll play the role of obedient students for now. Bide our time until the time is right to strike. I've waited this long to attain power, I can stand to be patient a little while longer."

The announcement came over the locker room speaker.

"All first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation. Again, will all first year students please report to Beacon cliff for initiation? Thank you."

"Shall we go?" Cinder suggested.

* * *

"This looks really excessive." Emerald said as she looked over the edge of Beacon Cliff.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a little fall." Mercury teased.

"I don't know. How about you tell me how scary it is on the way down." Emerald threatened.

Cinder shushed the bickering pair. "I am trying to hear the rules."

Mercury and Emerald quickly went silent.

"Thank you." Cinder inched her head towards where Professor Ozpin was, her ears picking up the sound of his voice. Just being in his presence made her blood boil, but she stowed away her feelings for the moment.

"After all of you find your partners, you will make your way to the northern end of the forest. Remember, this area is wrought with peril. So do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path…or you will die."

"Laying it on a bit thick isn't he?" Emerald said. "It's just a few stupid Grimm." She looked at some of the other students. A number of them were visually frightened by the professor's warning – especially the blonde-haired boy closest to the professor.

"At the end of the path you will find an abandoned temple containing several relics." Ozpin continued. "Each pair will grab one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we will grade you appropriately."

"So a retrieval mission." Emerald simplified.

"I'm bored already." Mercury yawned. "I thought this place was supposed to be exciting."

"Come on, let's get on with it already!" a teen with spiky pink hair shouted. "I wanna fight!"

"Natsu, hush!" a girl with white hair scolded.

"Isn't that the guy we ran into yesterday?" Mercury asked Emerald.

"Yeah. He's almost as annoying as you are."

Mercury took this insult in stride. "So I'm still your favorite."

Emerald rolled her eyes. "If there is any justice in this world, you will be eaten by a Grimm as soon as we enter the forest."

"I believe we're starting." Cinder pointed out. She directed her companions' eyes to the students next to her, one by one they were being launched into the air by the platforms they were standing on. When it came closer for her to be launched, Cinder looked to her companions. "You both know what to do."

Mercury and Emerald nodded, and watched as Cinder was launched into the air.

They followed soon after.

* * *

"What did I do to deserve this?" Emerald groaned.

"You knew this would happen." Mercury boasted with a smirk. "It's just fate."

"Then fate clearly likes to watch me suffer."

After landing in the forest, Emerald and Mercury quickly came across one another. Though she found him annoying to no end, Emerald also knew she had to suffer through him because of their affiliation. That and she'd rather be partnered with someone she knew then some random student she would **have** to be nice to. Even still, she'd much rather have been partnered with Cinder - who neither of them had seen since pairing up.

The pair reached a hill at the edge of the forest, below it were the ruins that Professor Ozpin spoke of.

"Guess this is the place." Mercury said.

"Let's grab them and go. I'm tired of being being attacked by bugs."

Just before the pair descended the hill, there was a rustling in the bushes. The two whirled around, prepared to strike who or whatever came through. They lowered their guard when Cinder emerged from the brush.

"I'm surprised the two of you beat me here. Impressive."

Emerald smiled in relief. "Where were you?"

"I was sidetracked."

Mercury pointed to a dark red stain on Cinder's face. "Um, Boss"

Emerald's eyes widened in shock. "Oh no! You're bleeding!"

Cinder grinned. "There is no need to be alarmed. It isn't my blood. I'm afraid it belonged to my 'partner'. Sweet. If a bit talkative. She was going on and on about how she was going to become Huntress to support her family right until the Beowolf gutted her. Poor girl. She would have been useful had she survived." Without hesitation she wiped the blood from her cheek. "Shall we finish this fruitless examination?"

"After you." Mercury held out his arm.

"How kind of you." Cinder grinned. She walked past her subordinates and down the hill to the ruins. Once they reached the altar, they got a good look at the relics.

"Chess pieces?" Mercury questioned. He picked up the black rook piece.

"Not what I would call a relic." Emerald grimaced, slightly disappointed that there was nothing of value to steal.

"True, but…" Cinder picked up the Black Queen. "It does have a certain charm to it. Let's go. We're done here."

* * *

"Are we almost there?" Mercury whined.

"You asked that ten minutes ago." Emerald sniped.

"I know."

"It shouldn't be much farther. " Cinder said. "There is supposedly a path that leads back to the cliff."

"I'm kind of surprised we didn't run into any Grimm while in the forest." Emerald said, looking around the near empty portion of the forest they traveled. "You think Ozpin was lying about the 'dangers of the forest'?"

"Ozpin lies a bout many things, but the danger of this area was not one of them." Cinder said. "The reason we have yet to encounter any Grimm is because even they - simple-minded as they are - know who it is they should fear."

The trio came upon the Beacon Cliff face. Carved inside was a tunnel lit by torches. They illuminated the staircase that ascended back to the starting area.

"Finally." Mercury sighed.

The trio entered the cavern, but stopped short when they heard an explosion ring in the air. Cinder and her team turned around, their eyes widening at the sight of a ball of fire high in the sky.

"What is that?!" Emerald shouted.

"Looks like the sun fell out of the sky!" Mercury yelled.

While her partners tried to figure out just what was going on, Cinder found herself completely enraptured by the phenomena. Her eyes wide in awe, she watched with bated breath as the fireball fell from the sky. With a crash and a bang it collided with the ground, creating a shockwave that reverberated and spread throughout the entire forest.

When the dust settled, Mercury and Emerald were completely shaken.

"What in the world was that?! Some kind of comet?" Emerald asked.

"Beats me." Mercury said, digging into his ears. "My ears are still ringing. You ok, Cinder?"

The pair looked to their leader. She hadn't moved an inch since they saw the fireball.

"Cinder?" Emerald called. "What's wrong? Are you ok."

Ignoring her teammates calls, an excited grin slowly crept across the face of Cinder Fall.

"What a beautiful flame."

* * *

"From this moment on, the four of you will be known as Team CRDL."

The four young men that Ozpin had called to the stage bowed their heads and walked off, allowing him to call up the next group.

After the initiation had concluded, all of the remaining students were called into the amphitheater for the team formation ceremony. This ceremony was the true purpose of the relics. When a group of four grabbed like relics, they would be placed on a team. It was a simple method, but one that proved effective over the years.

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury stood away from the other students. They were the first to return to the cliff, and Ozpin noted that while they all retrieved a relic, Cinder was without a partner. As such he placed them away from everyone else during the ceremony, stating that he had a "solution" to their problem.

"So why are we standing around here again?" Mercury asked.

"Ozpin said that he was going to 'fix' our team problem." Emerald reminded.

"What problem? It's been the three of us for this long. Don't know why we gotta change it now."

"You idiot. That's not how things work here. We have to play ball otherwise we'll attract unwanted attention. You remember what Cinder said."

"Yeah. Yeah. I know."

As Emerald and Mercury continued their conversation, and Ozpin formed teams - he was currently on the team that would be known as JNPR - Cinder was locked inside of her own mind; tuning everything and everyone out.

Since the initiation her mind was stuck on that fire they saw in the sky. She had never seen anything like it before. It was brighter – stronger – than any flame she herself could conjure in her current state. It was a maddening yet enticing feeling all at the same time.

 _That fire was no natural phenomenon. What was it? I need to know._

"And finally…Natsu Schnee."

Through no fault of her own, Cinder's head raised at Ozpin's introduction of the final student. It was the young man with pink hair from before.

The three – as well as the rest of the crowd – watched and listened as Professor Ozpin explained Natsu's circumstances. Unlike the other students, he had failed to grab a relic during the initiation and was now facing expulsion. As Natsu's face started to turn white from fear, his friends came to his defense. Mercury and Emerald couldn't help but mock him.

"Sucks to be him." Emerald snorted.

"Good riddance." Mercury smirked.

Cinder remained silent as Ozpin further explained Natsu's condition.

"If you recall, I said that failing the Initiation course 'normally' resulted in expulsion, but as you can all plainly see…" Ozpin directed the audiences' eyes to the screens above him. The images shown shocked everyone.

They watched as Natsu latched onto the head of a Nevermore and brought it down to the ground. His body sparked before he himself and the Grimm were engulfed in flames. The fireball descended like a comet, crashing in magnificent blaze on top of a Death Stalker. The feed cut out as soon as the explosion sounded.

"That fireball was him?" Emerald gasped.

"Whoa." Mercury said. "I can't believe a weak-looking guy like him took down a Nevermore **and** a Death Stalker."

Cinder's eyes were widened at the footage, just like they were when she first saw the flame in the forest. The fire that she found herself so entranced by, she finally knew the source. Her eyes fell to Natsu. She had never paid much attention to him before this moment, but now that she was focused, she noted that he was somewhat pleasing to the eye.

His ripped clothes showed off a good portion of his body's lean muscle, and the smile that he wore was rather enrapturing, but those were only surface features. None of that mattered to Cinder Fall. No, what she found herself truly attracted to was Natsu's power. His appearance was only a bonus. The potential stored within him made her heart race. She knew what they saw in that video was only a fraction of his abilities.

"You three may come up now."

Cinder returned to her body just in time to see Ozpin motioning her and the others to come to center stage. Mercury and Emerald followed Cinder into the spotlight and Ozpin introduced them to Natsu.

"This is Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black, and Cinder Fall."

"We meet again." Emerald waved with a fake smile.

Mercury huffed in amusement.

"A pleasure to meet you." Cinder greeted with a bow of her head.

"These three will be your teammates." Ozpin explained to the confused pinkette. "You will be known as Team CMSN (Crimson) and you will be led by Natsu."

"Alright." Natsu looked to his new teammates.

Mercury noticed his apprehension and decided to taunt him once again. "What's wrong? Are you just as disappointed as we are?"

Natsu took the bait. "You gotta problem with me or something?"

"Maybe." Mercury smirked. He wasn't living unless he was annoying someone.

Emerald sighed in exasperation. "Again with this?"

Cinder simply chuckled.

* * *

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury sat in their newly appointed dormitory room, their new 'leader' - Natsu Schnee - having gone to talk to Professor Ozpin about his odd decision to not expel him.

"I can't believe they put us on a team with that guy." Mercury complained as he fell to his back on the bed. "He's so annoying."

"If that's not the pot calling the kettle than I don't know what is." Emerald countered. "But I begrudgingly agree with you on this. This Natsu guy seems nice and dumb and all, but he's way too connected with those RWBY and JNPR kids. We don't want them snooping around too much into what we're doing do we? Maybe we should have brought Neo with us after all." Emerald looked to Cinder – who was currently sitting on the windowsill.

Her golden eyes on the broken moon, Cinder answered her worried companion.

"Neopolitan is currently occupied aiding Roman. That is where she is needed for the time being. Don't worry. As long as we keep our heads low and play the part of good students then there will be no reason for anyone to suspect us of anything. Besides, this Natsu Schnee could prove a very valuable asset to us in the long run."

This caused Mercury to sit up. "You can't be serious."

Emerald shared Mercury's concerns. "Sure what he did during the Initiation was impressive, but-"

"Do you not trust my judgement?" Cinder interrupted.

"O-of course I do." Emerald stammered. "But-"

"But, what? Please enlighten me on any better ideas you may have. I'm very open to suggestion."

Emerald bowed her head in apology. "My apologies. I didn't mean to question you."

Mercury followed suit. "Yeah. Sorry."

"It's fine." Cinder smirked. "A healthy dialogue builds team relations. If I wanted mindless drones I would have simply recruited two random members of the White Fang. Just don't make a habit out of it."

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald and Mercury nodded.

"I never mentioned it before, but I encountered that boy before we came to this school. He was there when Roman robbed that Dust Shop. Along with Glynda Goodwitch and that Ruby Rose girl. I didn't think much of him then because I was preoccupied with Goodwitch, but now I see that made a mistake to overlook him."

Cinder's evil grin reflected in the window. "What we saw during the Initiation was only a fraction of his power."

"So what are we going to do?" Emerald asked.

"We observe him under the guise of trusted teammates and allies. Then when the time is right we enlist him to our cause. His power is too much for some like Ozpin to make use of. He will be of much better under our care."

"What if he doesn't wanna play ball?" Mercury asked. "The guy really doesn't strike me as the 'death and destruction of humanity' type."

"Leave that to me. I've taken a…personal interest in him."

Mercury and Emerald gave one another quizzical looks, both confused by Cinder's rather vague statement.

The door to the room swung open, revealing a somewhat exhausted Natsu

"Welcome back, leader." Cinder smiled. "May we have a moment of your time?"

* * *

 **This chapter marks the start of volume 2. I thought about going just straight into it, but a review from the last chapter got me to thinking. Basically it said that Natsu's and Cinder's development was a bit forced and rushed, and they were right. So I used this opportunity to give a little insight to their first couple of days in Beacon.**

 **I hadn't used much of Cinder and her group in the first volume despite them being on a team with Natsu. For all intents and purposes volume 1 set of chapters basically followed canon. I hate when I do things like that, because if I just wanted to follow canon i wouldn't have written this story in the first place. So think of this chapter as a sort of restructuring. I will add Cinder's group more in the story and give them more interactions with Natsu and the others. We all know how their their story ends (for those of you who have seen volume 3), but the build up is necessary for certain elements of the story I'm going to change, add, and delete. And for those of you that are curious this volume will also decide just who Natsu will be entering a relationship with.**

 **So apologies for the disorganized mess so far. I promise Volume 2 on forward will be better, and hope you will all continue to read.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	16. New Semester Start!

The bullheads soared majestically along the birds in the sky as the city of Vale welcomed the afternoon air. All around townspeople were moving about performing various tasks for the day. One such person was the elderly owner of the "From Dust till Dawn" shop, who was currently hanging a banner that read "Newly Re-opened" from his store.

It hadn't been that long since the White Fang and Roman Torchwick had broken into his shop and stolen his wares, but he refused to let his business fall in spite of that. The store had been in his family for generations, and he would be damned if he let a few misguided ruffians run him out of town. It was a matter of pride after all.

Just as he finished hanging the banner, the ladder he stood on shook from underneath him. Losing his footing, the elderly man fell to the concrete walkway below. Luckily his fall was not a great enough height to be lethal – though it was a wonder he didn't at least break or bruise something.

"I'm sorry."

The shop owner craned his neck upward, seeing a young girl with light green hair and red eyes standing over him. She offered her hand and pulled him to his feet.

"I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She said. "I'm afraid I don't know my way around the city that well. Can you tell me where this place is?"

She held a piece of paper with an address written on it to the shopkeep. After a few seconds of examination he nodded and pointed her in the right direction.

"It's back the way you came. Just around the next corner there."

The girl smiled and put the paper back in her pocket. "Thank you so much. Have a nice day." She waved to the man and walked off.

Mercury stood on the side of the next building facing the street, waiting for Emerald to return. When she passed by, he couldn't help but make a comment.

"I knew you were lost."

Emerald turned on her heel and held a wallet in her comrade's face.

"Mercury, I will seriously pay you to shut up."

"That's not your money." He replied.

"But it could be yours for five minutes of silence."

"…No deal."

Emerald sneered at him and took the money for herself before throwing the wallet on the ground. "Fine."

Mercury followed her when she stormed off.

"You know you want me." he said.

"I'd rather be eaten by Grimm."

"Ouch." Mercury winced. "I see. So you're into our pink-haired 'leader' aren't ya?"

"As if. Besides, he's Cinder's property."

"And that just burns you up doesn't it?"

Emerald rolled her eyes. "Just hurry up."

Vale had become rather flooded since the announcement of it being the host to the Vytal Festival. Despite all of the decorations and people roaming about, Mercury wasn't a fan. He just wanted to hurry home.

"This is place is beyond dull."

Emerald shrugged. "I kind of like it. Tall buildings, diverse culture-"

"And plenty of unsuspecting people to pickpocket." Mercury interrupted.

Emerald smirked. "That's everywhere."

"Oh, Emerald! Master thief! I beg you, please don't take my money. I barely have enough to get by."

The mint-haired young woman was not amused by her partner's mockery and pressed forward.

"Killjoy." He commented.

The two continued on their path until they came across a shop downtown named: Tukson's Book Trade.

"We found it." Emerald said.

"Good. Now let's get this thing over with."

The two entered the shop. Despite the time of day it was rather empty – in fact they were the only two customers. They could hear someone humming to themselves in the backroom.

Mercury stopped short of the entrance and thumbed through one of the shelves of books while Emerald continued the counter. Once there she rang the bell.

"Be right there!" Out of the door behind the counter emerged a man of considerable size. Carrying two large stack of books in his equally massive arms.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade." He said. "Home to every book under the sun. How may I-" When he got a good look at the pair he hesitated for a moment. "How may I help you?"

"Just browsing." Mercury spoke up.

"Actually…" Emerald leaned on the counter. "I was wondering, do you have any copies of the Thief and the Butcher?"

"Yes. We do." Tukson answered.

"That's great!"

The pregnant pause afterwards made the shop owner uneasy.

"…Would you like one?"

"No. I was just wondering."

Mercury slammed the book in his hand closed. The echo made all the more jarring in the silent, spacious shop.

Tukson felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Oh what about Violet's Garden in paperback?" Emerald requested.

"He's got it." Mercury answered. He pulled the book from the shelf he was searching. "Hardback too."

"Options are nice."

"Eh, no pictures." Mercury slammed the book shut and threw it down. "Got any comics around here?"

"Near the front." Tukson pointed.

"Oh wait I got another one!" Emerald said. "What about…Third Crusade?"

The air went still and the shop owner's blood started to run cold. Judging from the look in the young girl's eyes, the time for games had ended. Emerald and Mercury waited for his answer with cheshire grins and expectant stares.

"Um…I…don't believe we carry that one."

Mercury slammed a third book shut. "Oh." He said in disappointment.

"What was this store called again?" Emerald asked the owner.

"Tukson's Book Trade."

"And I take it that you're Tukson?"

"That's right."

"So that means you're the one that came up with the catchphrase."

"Yes."

"And what was that slogan again?" Mercury requested.

Tukson sighed. "Tukson's Book Trade: Home to Every Book under the Sun."

"Except the Third Crusade." The young man corrected.

"It's just a catchphrase." Tukson shrugged.

"It's false advertising is what it is."

"You really shouldn't make a promise that you can't keep, Tukson" Emerald warned.

A sly grin on his face, Mercury began to dim the lights in the store windows until they were blacked out. Tukson felt a uneasiness in the pit of his stomach grow.

"Word is that you're leaving." Emerald said, dropping all formalities. "Moving all the way to Vacuo. Your brothers in the White Fang aren't too happy to hear that…and neither are we. You know who we are…don't you?"

"Yes." Tukson answered.

"Then you know why we're here."

"Yes."

Mercury approached the counter.

"So…" Emerald prompted. "Are you going to fight back?"

"…Yes!"

Tukson revealed his sharpened claws and leapt onto the store counter with an angered snarl. Emerald and Mercury stepped back. In one quick motion Tukson jumped from the counter and slashed at Emerald. She ducked out of the way, but before the shop owner could right himself he was caught by Mercury. The gray-haired young man thrust his foot into Tukson's face. A shot rang out in the darkness, the dust round in his boot hitting the shop owner square in the face. Tukson fell to the ground dead, the floor of his shop beginning to stain red with his blood.

"You couldn't do that any cleaner?" Emerald sighed.

"Heat of the moment." Mercury smirked.

"Let's go and report this."

"After you."

The pair exited the store – Mercury taking a comic on the way out.

"What's with that?" Emerald asked as she stretched her arms overhead.

"I like the pictures."

"Yo! Emerald! Mercury!"

The two froze at the voice. When they turned around, they were face to face with Natsu. Much to their surprise - and horror.

"N-Natsu?!" Emerald gasped. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was helping Team CFVY set up some stuff for the festival. What about you guys? I thought you'd still be at the dorms."

"We were doing some work of our own." Emerald quickly answered.

"Yeah…" Mercury trailed off, hurriedly thinking of an excuse. "Extracurricular work. You know how it goes."

Natsu laughed. "That stuff can be a pain. Where's Cinder?"

"A-actually we were just going to meet up with her." Emerald answered.

"Really? Cool. I'll come with you."

"No that won't be necessary."

"Why not?"

"Because…it's private stuff! Girl stuff!"

"Then why does Mercury get to go?"

"They're going shopping. They make me carry the bags." Mercury lied. "And Cinder gets some really weird stuff so I think she'd be embarrassed if anyone but us saw it."

Emerald wanted to hit Mercury for his choice of excuse, but decided to go a long with it if it would make Natsu go away.

"Oh. I see. Makes sense. Well I guess I'll see you guys back home then."

"Of course." Emerald smiled. "See you tonight. Take care."

The pair waved their team leader good bye; breathing a huge sigh of relief when he was gone.

"That was close." Mercury said. "You think he saw us?"

"No. If he did he would have mentioned it. Come on. We need hurry back before we run into someone else from the Academy."

"Right."

* * *

The cafeteria was filled to the brim with chatter from Beacon Academy students, but Blake Belladonna had long since tuned out the noise.

Her eyes focused on the notes in her journal detailing the White Fang, she was brought back to reality by the sudden intrusion of Yang.

"Whatcha doin?"

"Nothing." Blake quickly shut her journal. "Just going over some notes from last semester."

"Lame."

Without missing a beat, Yang caught in her mouth a grape that flung into the air courtesy of Nora. She gave the girl a thumbs up.

Ruby arrived at the lunch table, slamming a large book that alarmed both her team as well as Team JNPR – who were seated at the table across from them. The book – formerly named Vytal Festival Activities by Weiss Schnee – had the words Best Day Ever Activities crudely written on its white cover with red marker.

The young leader cleared her throat while her friends awaited an explanation.

"Sisters. Friends. Weiss."

"Hey!" the Heiress shouted in offense.

"Four score and seven minutes ago I had a dream."

"This should be good." Yang said to Blake and Weiss. She caught a cherry in her mouth. Ruby continued her speech.

"A dream that one day the four of us would come together - as a team – and have the most fun anyone has ever had…ever!"

"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss realized.

"I am not a crook."

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked.

"I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang." Ruby answered matter-of-factly.

"I always kick off my semester with a **Yang**." Yang joked.

Her team sighed in exasperation at the horrible pun, the blonde getting a tomato thrown at her by a heckler for her trouble.

"It's been a good two weeks so far." Ruby resumed. "That vacation to the mountains was just what we needed to clear our heads."

Weiss beamed with pride. "You're welcome."

"Speaking of where's Natsu?" Yang asked. "I thought he never missed a meal."

"He's helping Team CFVY with festival preparations. He should arrive shortly."

"With more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year our second semester is going to be great." Ruby said. "Classes start back up tomorrow. Which is why I've taken it upon myself to schedule a wonderful set of events for us today."

"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store." Weiss spoke up.

"I don't know." Blake looked down at her lap. "I think I'm going to sit this one out."

"Well regardless of how we spend this last day, I think we should do so as a team." Weiss stood up. "I for one-"her speech was cut short by the sweet humiliation of a pie hitting her face.

Team RWBY turned to Team JNPR in shock. It was clear that Nora was the culprit – having missed the pie being thrown at her by someone else. She tried to shift the blame to Ren.

* * *

Sun walked through the Beacon Academy courtyard. Due to the student exchange, he - along with other visiting students from the different kingdoms - was allowed lodging at the school along with the rest of his team. At his side was a young with electric blue hair. He was about a centimeter or two taller than the Faunus and wore a pair of flight googles on his head.

"So we were all fighting side by side and she was super-fast and the pink dude was like exploding stuff all over the place, and I threw a banana at the guy which sounds gross but it was awesome!" Sun excitedly shouted to his friend.

"Nice."

"Right? And the best part is the girl was a Faunus." Sun quickly covered his mouth. "That's a secret."

"Got it."

"And I don't mean 'I'm gonna tell Scarlet as soon as Sun turns his back secret' I mean an actual secret."

"Chill out, bro. I got it, ok? Trust me." His friend reassured.

"You better. I just don't wanna screw this up, ya know? The people here are awesome. No offense to you guys."

"None taken."

The two were so busy with their conversation that they didn't notice the food fight brewing in the cafeteria – Jaune was even flung into one of the windows they passed. Sun and his friend arrived at the cafeteria door.

"They're just in here." Sun said. "I'm really excited for you to meet them. So be cool. You're gonna be cool, right?"

"Dude." The bluenette stood posed with his arms crossed, his perfectly white teeth twinkling in the sunlight.

"Point taken." Sun nodded.

The two entered the cafeteria just in time to see the other students running for their lives out of the door. Sun was beside himself with excitement, but his friend was much less enthused. They heard cackling laughter and looked to the rear of the cafeteria.

There they saw Nora standing on top of a tower made up of over turned table with her teammates surrounding her.

"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" she sang.

Opposite of them stood Team RWBY.

"Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! It will be delicious!" Ruby proclaimed, crushing the milk carton in her hand. Her team echoed her war cry and the fierce fight began.

"Off with their heads!" Nora declared.

She jumped down from the tower, landing in front of a table with group of watermelons on it. Once she was ready, she and her team threw a large number of the fruits at their enemies.

"Yang, turkey!" Ruby directed.

Her sister stuck her hands inside two cooked turkeys, creating make shift Ember Celica gauntlets, and charged. She punched through all the watermelons in front of her - some missing her entirely. This opened a path for Blake to get through.

The Faunus leapt over her teammate and rolled on the ground, picking up a pair of baguettes along the way to use as swords. Both of them equipped for battle, the two worked in tandem to destroy more watermelons. Yang shot the turkeys from her fists like they were dust rounds, her targets being Pyrrha and Jaune.

The redhead evaded just in time, but Jaune was not as lucky. He was bombarded with the meat and knocked back into the vending machines.

Pyrrha grabbed her own baguette sword. Narrowly avoiding an air strike from Blake, Pyrrha dashed forward. She slashed downward, but Blake blocked with her own "swords" and the two soon found themselves at a stalemate.

Before either could gain the upper hand, both of their faces were grabbed by a mysterious set of hands. They were lifted off the ground and spun around before being thrown back to their respective teams.

"Blake, are you alright?!" Ruby called.

"Pyrrha, what happened?!" Jaune asked.

"I don't know." The red head answered.

"What was that?" Blake questioned.

Everyone looked to the middle of the cafeteria, they saw a familiar head of pink hair accompanied by a devilish grin.

"You guys started a fight without me? That's not fair."

"Natsu?!" Ruby shouted.

"Where did he come from?!" Jaune yelped.

"Better question is whose team is he on?" Ren inquired.

Natsu looked at both teams and motioned them to come at him.

"Bring it. I'll take you all on."

"Guess that answers that question." Yang said.

Blake and Pyrrha charged the cocky pinkette; their "swords" at the ready. They attacked, but Natsu blocked their strikes with ease. He forced them back then proceeded to target Blake first.

His punches quickly flying past her head, Blake could barely handle to pressure. It was she could do to guard him. _He's serious about this._ Seeing an opening Blake thrust her weapon forward. Natsu opened his mouth to eat the bread, but was duped when he realized Blake used her semblance clone to get past him and run back to Pyrrha.

"No fair! Get back here!"

Blake and Pyrrha resumed. The two danced in the cafeteria, their master swordplay on display for everyone to see. No wasted motion of movement. The two were treating this like a real fight. They grinned at one another when their swords clashed. They were enjoying themselves.

"You're good." Pyrrha complimented.

"Thanks. You're not bad yourself." Blake returned.

With kick that narrowly missed his targets, Natsu rejoined the fray.

"I'm not going to fall for that trick again, Kitty." He said to Blake.

Pyrrha cocked her head in confusion. "Kitty?"

"I told you to not call me that in public!" Blake squealed. In her embarrassment, she failed to react in time Natsu's punch.

He lunged at Blake but was repelled at the last second by Pyrrha. The redhead parried him and slashed at Blake but Natsu blocked the strike and kicked Blake in the stomach, knocking her off of the table they were standing on. He then tripped Pyrrha to her back.

He punched downward but the redhead rolled out of the way, allowing Blake to return and strike Natsu in the back and knock him down.

She aimed to stab him in the back but the Pyrrha saved him. She slashed at Blake but the crafty faunus made a clone as a distraction to jump in the air. She threw one of her baguettes at Pyrrha but the warrior evaded.

"Gotcha!"

Blake looked up and saw Natsu floating over her. Unable to block in time, she hit with a kick that knocked her back down to the ground. When she rose to her feet, she saw Pyrrha racing towards her.

The redhead pressed the tip of her "sword" into Blake's abdomen with enough force to not only send her flying into the wall, but also break both of their weapons.

Pyrrha snatched another baguette out of the air and launched it like a spear towards Yang. The impromptu weapon would have hit its mark had Natsu not caught it in mid-air with his mouth. He kicked Yang in stomach and flipped over her. Just in time to see Ruby grabbing a lunch tray from the ground.

The leader of Team RWBY kicked off of the pinkette, knocking him to the floor as she landed on the table. Using the momentum from the push, the tray instantly became a surfboard that she used to ride her way to Team JNPR's side.

She deflected another one of Pyrrha's bread spears before kicking the tray into the redhead. Sending her flying back to the vending machines.

Ren and Nora stepped up to avenge their fallen comrade just as Weiss finally made her presence felt.

Using a ketchup bottle, the heiress created a slick that tripped up an advancing Ren and sent him bowling into a stack of tables and chairs.

Nora jumped off one of the tables knocked airborne by the crash and grabbed one of the flag poles sticking out of the wall. She stuck the end into a watermelon when she landed, creating a hammer that she used to knock Ruby away.

Weiss quickly appropriated a swordfish she saw lying on the ground. Using it as a substitute for Myrtenaster. Weiss sped forward, showing that she was a master with any blade as she forced Nora back with a single thrust.

Nora however would not be denied. She backflipped and landed on her feet before charging Weiss again. The two engaged in brief exchange of parries and weapon play before Nora eventually overpowered Weiss.

She slammed the heiress into a pillar near the front of the cafeteria. The force of Weiss' impact split the pillar in half, knocking her unconscious. Ruby caught her teammate before she hit the ground.

"Weiss?" she desperately tried to wake her. "Weiss! Don't leave me! No~!"

Natsu revived in time to see his sister's defeat.

"You're going to pay for that!"

Natsu – with a recovering Yang at his side – charged Team JNPR.

Ren grabbed a pair of leeks andintercepted Yang.

Nora brought her hammer down on Natsu, but the pinkette caught the handle before it made contact. He pulled Nora to him and forced his knee upwards catching the girl in the stomach. Nora doubled over for a second but quickly rose up, the bottom of her hear head colliding with Natsu's chin and knocking him off-balance.

The pinkette let go of the hammer and was lifted into the air. Nora jumped after him.

She swung her hammer down again. Natsu evaded, grabbing the handle and swinging his body around he kicked Nora in the back and forced her to the ground. When he landed he grabbed the swordfish that had previously belonged to his sister and set it on fire, creating a flaming sword.

"Awesome." Nora said in awe.

Next to them it was a battle of veggies versus meat as Yang and her turkey fists squared off against Ren and his leeks. The two were evenly matched – parrying and blocking each other move for move – until Ren went too far into Yang's guard. She punished him for his mistake, forcing him to a knee with a hammer fist before following up with a devastating uppercut that knocked him into the air.

Ren flipped backwards and threw the leeks down to Yang. She dodged them with ease, jumping into the air and crushing Ren with a hard punch that nearly buried him in the ground.

Nora knocked Natsu's flaming fish out of his hand and knocked him away with the bottom of her hammer before going after Yang. The readied their strikes, but Nora proved the superior fighter when she hit Yang so hard that it not only destroyed her hammer, but knocked the blonde out of the roof of the cafeteria and into the sky!

Blake returned and grabbed a long row of sausage links. Using them as a whip she smacked Nora into the vending machines behind her, emptying it of all of its soda cans. Nora recovered and threw a can at Blake.

Blake jumped back, narrowly avoiding the "grenade" as it exploded but she lost her weapon in the process. Recognizing that she was in danger, she started to run around the cafeteria as Nora threw more cans.

Seeing that she was surrounded by soda cans herself, Pyrrha slammed her palm into the ground. Using her semblance, she lifted all of the cans around her into the air. With a wave of her arms she sent them hurling towards Blake.

The Faunus was unable to withstand the vicious attack and was sent sailing through the air. She landed on the ground soon after in defeat. Ruby rose to her feet and looked around at her team. Blake and Weiss were down for the count, and Yang had yet to come down. She was the last member of her team standing.

Her eyes burning with determination and revenge, Ruby got in a three point stance. She zoomed forward using her semblance, the wind from her takeoff bringing all of the debris from the entirety of fight with her. Team JNPR looked on in shock as Ruby brought the storm their way.

The young girl spun, her cape covering her and giving her the appearance of a red missile as she sped up. Just before she could hit Team JNPR, Natsu stood in her path. He stuck out his hands catching Ruby and slowing her momentum. The cans of soda and other debris pinned Team JNPR against the wall behind Natsu, their bodies covered in a kaleidoscope of colorful liquids, but he was only focused on Ruby.

Natsu dug his heels into the ground to stop himself and with a defiant roar emitted a fire from his hands that engulfed Ruby and blew her backwards. The flames seared through his friend's cloak, but Natsu made sure they were nowhere near hot enough to harm her actual body.

Ruby was sent sent sailing back into her team in the ensuing explosion. When the dust finally settled, Natsu was the only one left standing.

He looked to his friends, his trademark toothy grin plastered on his face.

"That was awesome! Let's do it again!"

"I love these guys." Sun said.

His friend – who had been covered in purple soda during the fight – was much less inclined to agree.

Glynda Goodwitch burst into the cafeteria. Her eyes burning red with anger she waved her riding crop and fixed the entire cafeteria with her telekinesis, resetting it back to the way it was before the war broke out.

"Children, please…" she said through gritted teeth. "Do not play with your food."

The nine students stood in silent fear at Glynda's words before Nora burped. Soon after Yang fell through the ceiling and crashed into a table next to her team. The two events in succession overrode the group's fear and they all started to laugh.

Glynda was furious, but calmed down when Professor Ozpin arrived. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let it go."

Glynda calmed herself with a beleaguered sigh. "They're supposed to be the defenders of the world."

"And they will be, but for now they're still children. So why not let them be for just a little longer?" Ozpin started to walk away. "After all, it's not a role they can play forever."

* * *

On outskirts of Vale a lone warehouse stood out in the darkness of the night sky. The sounds of whirring engines could be heard outside as members of the White Fang unloaded cargo from a Bullhead.

Mercury and Emerald entered the hideout, making their way straight for Torchwick who was looking over a map in the back of the warehouse. In addition to killing Tukson, they were also running various other errands for the reluctant partner in crime.

"Oh look." He said upon noticing their presence. "She sent the kids again. Just like the divorce." He hugged their heads, but the two quickly shrugged him off.

"Spare us the thought of you procreating." Emerald shuddered.

"Relax that was a joke. Though this just might tell me where you two have been all day."

Torchwick produced a small piece of paper that Emerald instantly recognized. She did a body check, confirming that Torchwick had indeed lifted it from her.

"What? How did you-"

"I'm a professional, sweetheart. If you pay attention you might learn something."

Torchwick examined the writing on the scrap of paper, quickly discerning that the address written was for Tukson's Book Trade.

"Why do you have this address?" he interrogated.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emerald flippantly replied.

"That is why I'm asking you. Now where have you been?"

"Cleaning up your messes." Mercury chimed in. "Well...one of them."

"I had that under control."

"You did? Because two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale would beg to differ."

"Listen up, you little punk, if were up to me I would take you and your street rat friend here and-"

"Do what, Roman?"

The trio looked to the catwalk above, watching Cinder make her entrance. She walked to the pressure platform, the gears turning as it lowered to the ground.

Roman shrank. "I'd…not kill them?" he answered with a nervous laugh.

"Cinder!"

Emerald ran to her true leader with excitement in her eyes. Her arms open for a hug, she was saddened when Cinder ignored her and spoke to Roman.

"I thought I said you were to dispose of the would-be runaway."

"I was going to…" Roman trailed off.

"He was going to escape to Vacuo." Emerald reported slyly. "Mercury and I took it upon ourselves to exterminate the rat."

"Actually I think he was some sort of cat." Mercury argued.

"What? You mean like a puma?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Quiet." Cinder commanded. "I believe I made myself perfectly clear when I said that the two of you were to keep your hands clean while in Vale."

"I know, but-"Emerald started.

"Do you know who I happened to run into on my way out of the dormitory? I'll give you a hint. He has pink hair…and is very nosy."

Emerald and Mercury started to slump as Cinder's glare intensified.

"If Natsu had seen what the two of you did, what then? I told you before that he is not yet ready to be exposed to what it is that we do. If he were to catch a whiff of our plans this early, he would no doubt bring everything crashing down around our ears. Keep your heads down. This will be the last time I tell you. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Emerald nodded in compliance. "I just thought that-"

"Don't think…obey."

"Yes, ma'am. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't." Cinder turned back to Torchwick – who was currently laughing at Mercury and Emerald's expense. "Why wasn't this job done sooner?"

Torchwick quickly directed the group's eyes to the stacks of crates behind him.

"Sorry if I've been a preoccupied stealing all of the Dust in the kingdom!"

"Truly you're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski-mask." Mercury mocked. Emerald giggled.

"Look around, kid, I got this town on its knees begging for mercy. Cops are camping out at every corner, dust prices are so high that they need a plane ticket, and we're sitting pretty in a warehouse with enough dust crystals, rounds, and vials to outfit a small country. Which reminds me. Maybe if you guys filled me in on whatever the hell it is we're trying to accomplish, then my next few jobs might go a little smoother!"

"Oh, Roman. Have a little faith."

Cinder gently placed her hand on Torchwick's cheek. The criminal remained apprehensive. He wanted to step back, but the look in Cnider's eyes froze him in place.

"You'll know what you need when you need to know it." When her eyes started to glow Roman averted his gaze with a huff. "Besides, we're done with Dust."

"Ok? Then what now?" Torchwick questioned.

"We're moving. Tell the White Fang to clear out. I will send you the location coordinates tonight."

"Coordinates?"

"We're proceeding with phase two."

With that Cinder removed her hand and walked away, Mercury and Emerald not far behind.

"Great." Torchwick grumbled. His stress levels starting to rise he grabbed a cigar out of his inner jacket pocket and placed it in his mouth. When he reached for the lighter in that was normally his pocket, he noticed it was gone.

He heard a click and looked ahead, seeing Emerald in possession of his precious lighter.

A smug grin on her face, the dark-skinned thief stuck her tongue out at an agitated Torchwick before closing the lighter shut.

* * *

 **I was originally going to combine this and the last chapter into one, but decided against it when I realized how long it was. In the end I'm glad I did since I think it flows better as two chapters.**

 **The food fight was pretty difficult to write with how tight the choreography was in the series. Fitting Natsu in was harder than I thought, and I still don't think I did it well, but in the end that's for you all to decide.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	17. Preparations

A loud whistle coupled with a boom woke Natsu much earlier than he would have liked. His irritated groans echoing in the stillness of his dorm room, the pinkette reluctantly sat up in his bed.

The sounds got louder.

"What's going on out there?"

"Good morning."

Natsu's vision cleared and was welcomed by the sight of Cinder. She was still in her red and black night gown, her eyes on the commotion outside. There was also a cup of hot tea seated next to her on the nightstand, but she didn't seem too interested in it at the moment.

"Morning." Natsu yawned. He got up and stood next to Cinder. He could see something approaching the school in the distance. He squinted to get a better view. When it touched down on the landing platform, his stomach started to gurgle. It was a massive airship.

"What is that thing doing here?" he asked. "More exchange students?"

"No." Cinder's eyes narrowed as the door of the airship dropped down to reveal men in military uniform. "It's the Atlesian Military."

"The military?" Natsu started to cower. If the Atlas military was in Vale…that meant **she** was too. "W-what are they doing at Beacon?"

Cinder squeezed her bicep in irritation. "I wonder that as well."

* * *

Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch watched the incoming air carriers from high above inside the former's office. They'd been expecting them to show up since festival preparations began, but what they didn't expect was the number of soldiers poised at their doorstep.

"Ironwood certainly loves to bring his work with him." Goodwitch said. It was clear from her impatient tone that she was not a fan of the general of the Atlesian Military.

"To be fair, running both an academy and the military makes him quite the busy man." Ozpin defended. He watched a squadron of airships fly towards the tower before splintering off. "Though I do agree those are a bit of an eyesore."

The alarm on his desk rang, signaling that there was someone at his door.

"Come in."

The doors slid open. In walked a man of considerable build and height. His black as night locks were offset by his all white military uniform. This man was General James Ironwood. Headmaster of Atlas Academy, as well as the General of the Atlesian military.

"Ozpin." He greeted with open arms.

"Good morning, General."

"Please, no need for the formalities."

The two friends met in the middle and shook hands.

"It's been too long." Ironwood's gaze turned to Professor Goodwitch as she approached the pair. "Glynda. It's certainly been too long since we last saw each other."

"Oh, James." She sarcastically swooned. "I'll be outside." She told Ozpin. With that she walked out of the office, not bothering to give the general a second glance.

"Well she hasn't changed a bit." Ironwood joked.

Ozpin walked to his desk and poured himself and Ironwood a cup of coffee.

"So what brings you to Atlas? I must admit I was surprised when you said you would be showing up. Headmaster's typically don't accompany their students to the Vytal Festival."

"Well you know how I much I love Vale this time of year." Ironwood took his cup and then produced a flask from his jacket pocket. Using one hand he flipped open the cap and poured a small amount of whiskey into the cup. "And I thought with you hosting we could have some time to…catch up."

"While I can always appreciate quality time between friends, the military fleet poised outside my door has me a bit…concerned."

"To be fair, concern is what brought them here."

"I understand that travel between the kingdoms can be somewhat difficult but-"

"Oz…you know exactly why I brought those men."

Ironwood's ominous words hung in the air for a moment. The pregnant pause signifying the friendly atmosphere was gone, Ozpin sipped from his mug and let out a disconcerting sigh.

"This is a time of peace, James. Displays of power like this only serve to garner the wrong type of attention."

"But if what Qrow said is true then-"

"We will deal with it accordingly." Ozpin finished. "Right now tact is the most important course of action. The Vytal Festival is a celebration of unity and peace. So I would greatly appreciate it if you would not disturb that peace by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."

"I'm just being cautious." Ironwood defended.

"And there is nothing wrong with that, but that is the precise reason we are training the best Hunters and Huntresses that we can."

"Believe me I am." Ironwood finished his coffee and placed his mug on Ozpin's desk. "Thank you for the coffee, Oz." he then turned to leave, but stopped just a few paces away from Ozpin's desk.

"Before I go I just want you to ask yourself one thing: Do you believe that these children can win a war?"

With those final words spoken, Ironwood left Ozpin's office. Leaving the headmaster alone with his thoughts.

He solemnly looked down at his hands, his eyes softening.

"I hope they never have to."

* * *

The library of Beacon Academy was filled to the brim with students studying for the upcoming exams. Due to the approaching Vytal Festival, students were encouraged to study for all hours of the day to keep up with their increased workload. Those who did not have passing grades by the end of the semester could not attend the festivities, but that didn't seem to be a problem for a certain first year team.

Weiss and Yang looked over their cards as they waited for Ruby to make her move. The heiress was clearly confused by what she was doing, but Yang was completely confident. Blake didn't even bother.

"Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!" Ruby declared.

"Bring it on!"

"I deploy the Atlesian Air Flee~t!" Ruby held her chosen card high in the air as her sister gasped in horror. "With this card I can fly directly over your Ursai and attack your wall directly!" Ruby started to make airplane noises with her mouth, signaling the onset of her attack.

"You fiend!" Yang shouted.

"And since Atlas is a part of Mantle, that means my repair time only lasts one turn."

Yang laughed off her sister's smug attitude. "Pretty sneaky, sis, but you activated my trap card!"

"Wha~?!"

"Giant Nevermore!" Yang slammed her fist on the table, knocking over everyone else's pieces on the game map. "If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two!"

"But if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces." Her little sister countered.

"That's a chance I'm willing to take."

Yang rolled the dice in her hand, grinning manically as they landed on six and four respectively, adding up to ten. She listened to her sister scream in sweet agony as she laid waste to her fleet.

"No~!" Ruby cried out. "My loyal soldiers!"

As the sisters continued their war, Team JNPR sat at the table closest to them. For the most part they were studying. Ren was the only one who was actively trying to go over the course materials. He turned the pages of the large book he was reading, each one piling onto the head of a sleeping Nora. Jaune read a comic book, only looking up when a game piece - one of many flying about during Yang and Ruby's "battle" - hit him in the head.

"Have you no heart?" Ruby implored her sister. She slumped in her chair, her head pressed on the table as she cried tears of bitter defeat.

"Your turn, Weiss." Yang said. Despite her little sister's pitiful state, Yang continued to smile. She really was ruthless.

The Schnee heiress looked carefully at her hand. No matter how hard she stared none of the cards made sense. It was all just gibberish to her. "I have…no idea what I'm doing." She finally admitted.

Yang leaned in, peeking at the cards in her hand. "It's easy. Look, you're playing as Vacuo. That means all Vacuo based cards come with a bonus."

Weiss was no closer to understanding. "That sounds dumb."

Yang lifted one of Weiss' cards and started to rearrange them until she found something useful. "You've got Sandstorm…Desert Scavenge…Oh! Resourceful Raider! Now you can take Ruby's discard air fleet and put it in your hand."

Ruby voiced her displeasure of this plan with a pained whine.

"Ok?" Weiss prompted. She was still waiting for something she could understand.

"All Vacuo warriors have an endurance boost against natural hazards, which means you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and infiltrate my kingdom at the same time." Yang explained. Her eyes then narrowed. "Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war." she threatened.

"What does that mean exactly?"

"You're three turns away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby cried.

Suddenly a switch flipped in Weiss and she stood from her chair, cackling evilly at her encroaching victory.

"Yes! Behold the awesome power of my almighty forces! Cower in fear as they pillage and sabotage your homes, and rip your children from your very arms!"

"Trap card." Yang interrupted, derailing all of Weiss' momentum. She rearranged the entire battle map until Vacuo was reduced to dust. "Your army has been destroyed."

Tears formed in Weiss' eyes as she fell back into her chair.

"Why must we suffer through this horrible game of emotions?!" she cried. Suddenly Ruby jumped into her lap.

"Don't worry, Weiss! We'll make it through this together!" She sniffed.

"Shut up! Don't touch me!" Despite her pointed words, Weiss hugged Ruby close and cried with her.

Yang leaned back in her chair, reveling her victory. She turned to Blake.

"Your turn."

The faunus looked to her teammate in confusion. "Hm? Sorry I spaced out. What's going on?"

"You're Vale. Trying to conquer the kingdoms of Remnant." The blonde explained.

"Right. Got it."

"Hey can I play?"

Jaune came over to Team RWBY's table.

"Sorry, Jaune. We've already got four people." Ruby said.

"And even if you were to play, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I doubt you possess." Weiss haughtily insulted.

"You literally attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago." Yang reminded.

"Bring it on, Ice Queen. For your information, I've been told I am a natural born leader." Jaune boasted.

"By who?" The heiress snorted. "Your mother?"

"And Pyrrha." Jaune added.

Team RWBY looked to JNPR's table, but saw no sign of Pyrrha.

"Where did she go?" Ruby asked.

"I think she and Natsu went to study somewhere." Jaune answered. "Come on. Let me play your hand for a turn."

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo." Weiss refused.

* * *

"Dust. By definition, it is a naturally occurring energy propellant that can be trigged by the aura of Humans and faunus. But in reality…"

"This so boring!"

Pyrrha closed her textbook and looked over to her study partner. Since all of the tables were taken, Pyrrha and Natsu settled for sitting on the floor in between a couple of book shelves.

When Natsu first asked her to help him study, Pyrrha was surprised – as well as a little happy. Though after seeing his lethargic behavior and unwillingness to pay attention for the past hours, she was beginning to question why she accepted his offer in the first place.

"You were the one who asked me to help you study, remember?" The redhead reminded. "The least you could do is actually follow through with that request and pay attention."

"I know, but this stuff is boring. Why do we have to study anyway? If it were up to me I would skip class and just train until the tournament started."

Pyrrha grinned. "Did you forget that those who don't pass their exams can't participate in the tournament?"

Natsu's face went white with fear. "Oh crap. I did." It wasn't just sitting out the tournament that Natsu feared. If he failed his exams Weiss would never let him hear the end of it…not to mention what **she** would think. He had to be on his best behavior. No slacking off.

"Natsu?"

Pyrrha roused the pinkette from his fearful thoughts.

"Don't worry. You asked me to help you, and that is what I intend to do. As long as you apply yourself, you will pass. I'm sure of it."

The redhead's warm smile lifted Natsu's bottomed spirits.

"Thanks, Pyrrha."

"My pleasure. Shall we continue?" Pyrrha reopened the textbook and returned to the page she had stopped on. She started to read, but soon stopped when she noticed Natsu's shoulder pressed against hers.

"W-what are you doing?"

"It's hard to see from over there. I wanted to get a better view of the book. Am I bothering you?"

"N-not at all." Pyrrha blushed. "You just caught me unaware." She tried to refocus on reading, but Natsu's presence was distracting her. Every so often she would look at him. He seemed much more involved in the book than a few minutes ago.

Pyrrha found it hard to focus the longer they touched. She could feel the warm radiating from out from his body and into hers. He smelled like cinnamon. His pink locks tickled her cheek just enough where she had to stifle a giggle.

The redhead could not deny that she had a certain…attraction to Natsu ever since the day the met. In spite of their less than ideal meeting in the locker room, the two turned out to be a fairly compatible team during the Initiation. So much so that Pyrrha was even secretly disappointed when she wasn't put on a team with him.

She loved the friends she had made on the team – there was never any doubting that – but she thought that being on a proper team with Natsu would allow her to know more about him. She had learned the basics from him – mostly about his upbringing in the Schnee household – but other than that she knew next to nothing. Even when she asked Weiss, the heiress admitted knowing much more about her brother before he came into her life. According to her Natsu didn't remember much.

She gleaned what she could of his fighting style and techniques from their nightly training sessions with Jaune, but what was beneath the surface seemed to remain forever a mystery. Most people would simply ask questions if they wanted answers like that, but Pyrrha was different. While supremely confident of her skills during battle, the same could not be said of her abilities outside of it.

She was for the lack of a better word...awkward when it came to these sorts of things. Everyone always avoided her due to her status as a warrior, so she never had much formal experience with talking normally. If anything she was over-friendly, but just shy enough to not ask too many questions - mostly out of fear of running someone off. There was also the little problem of her never having a crush on a boy before.

She blushed when she admitted that to herself. It was quite embarrassing.

If there was one thing Pyrrha knew for sure without having to ask, it was that Natsu was much stronger than he let on. Whether he himself knew about this was up for debate.

Conjuring fire seemed a safe enough bet to call his Semblance, but there were times when Pyrrha wondered if it was a Semblance at all. Natsu's body never glowed with an Aura when he summoned flames. He just did it. That wasn't really a peculiar phenomena - neither Ruby nor Blake's bodies glowed when they used theirs - but he possessed something that others did not.

A beast.

To be more accurate, the monster she encountered within Natsu's subconscious during the Initiation. She only saw its eye before being cast out but Pyrrha knew that whatever it was, was not to be trifled with.

That roar. That blood-curdling, spine-tingling sound of anger gave her nightmares for a week.

She looked to Natsu, his eyes were still firmly on the pages of the textbook. He looked so innocent.

 _Could a monster like that really reside inside of someone like him?_

Natsu looked up. His eyes meeting Pyrrha's. Their lips were close enough where they could feel the other's breathing. Pyrrha was panicking on the inside, but Natsu looked perfectly calm. Pyrrha saw no hint of rage, malice, or anger on Natsu's face.

"You ok? You stopped reading."

She took a breath to calm herself. "I'm fine. I was just…distracted."

"Wanna take a break?"

"Yes. I think we've earned one." Pyrrha closed the textbook. "Let's check on the others."

Natsu stood and stretched. "Sounds good to me." He held out his hand to her. "Let's go."

Pyrrha gratefully accepted his help and was pulled to her feet.

 _Perhaps I was just seeing things. There is no monster inside of him._

* * *

"…Intellectual. Thank you."

Natsu and Pyrrha arrived just in time to see Sun and a boy with blue hair standing at Team RWBY's table. Jaune was there as well.

"Hey, guys." Jaune waved. "You done studying?"

"We're taking a break for now." Pyrrha answered. "We thought we'd check in on how the rest of you were doing."

"I'm so sorry you have to go through all of this trouble, Pyrrha." Weiss apologized. "I know Natsu can be a handful."

"Hey!" Her brother shouted in offense.

"It's no trouble at all." Pyrrha smiled. "I'm actually enjoying it."

"Oh really?" Ruby prompted with a mischievous smirk.

Pyrrha realized what she was implying and quickly backpedaled. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I meant not many people have asked for my help before so it's just refreshing!"

"Ri~ght." Ruby winked.

"Yo, Natsu!" Sun called.

"Sun! What's up, man?" the two shook hands and smiled.

"I didn't know you two were so close." Yang said.

"You kidding me?" Sun questioned, throwing his arm around the pinkette's shoulder. "This guy is awesome."

"I'm Neptune by the way."

Everyone focused their attention on the goggle-wearing boy that Sun had brought with him.

"So, Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss prompted with a hint of interest. Both Natsu and Jaune took notice of this, and neither were pleased.

"Haven." Neptune sauntered over to the Ice Queen. "And I don't believe I caught your name, Snow Angel."

Natsu instantly stood between the pair.

"Her name is Weiss."

Neptune slowly started to back away, Natsu's heated glare never leaving him.

"Weiss. That's a nice name. You're Natsu right? Sun told me a lot about you. Are you her boyfriend or…"

"Brother. **Older** brother."

"Natsu, stop it! You're embarrassing me!" Weiss hissed.

"Older brother, huh? T-that's cool. Well nice meeting you!" Neptune quickly scooted back to Sun's side.

"Should have warned you about that." The faunus boy laughed.

"You think?"

Sun turned his attention to Blake.

"I didn't peg you for the board game type."

"Actually I think I'm done playing." Blake placed her cards on the table, stood up from her chair, and walked away.

Everyone watched her back shrink in the distance. No one had any idea what to make of the scene.

"Women." Nora shrugged.

* * *

Blake sat alone on her bed with the window open, the crisp night air filtered in and out of the room. The young faunus found herself reflecting on the fight at the docks once again.

The plea to her former White Fang allies that fell on deaf ears. Torchwick's vague confession of a "joint business venture" between himself in the White Fang. The events were on a constant loop that showed no signs of stopping. Blake tried to make herself small but hugging her knees closer to her chest. With an exhausted breath, the scene in her mind finally changed.

This one to just a few hours after the battle.

* * *

"Natsu, you really shouldn't be here." Blake said. "Just go home with the others. I'll be fine."

"I'm not leaving you alone again. I ran away from the school too. So if you have to be here, then so do I."

Blake sighed, but a small grin still managed to stretch her face. "Fine. If I can't change your mind then we'll just have to face this together."

"That's the plan."

The door opened and in walked Professor Ozpin.

"This has certainly been quite the eventful evening. Imagine my surprise when I receive a call that two of my students were being held in the police station for reckless endangerment, breaking and entering, as well as destruction of property. To be honest I expected much worse. Hello again, Mr. Schnee."

"Yo."

"Luckily the commissioner was kind enough to allow me time to – as he calls it – 'talk some sense' into the two of you. Are you willing to let me try?"

"Of course." Blake allowed.

"Sure." Natsu shrugged.

"Wonderful." Ozpin sat his filled coffee mug on the table, leaned his cane on the edge of the table, and sat down in the chair across from the pair.

"We're all very tired and in dire need of a good night's rest so I will keep this brief. As the both of you are no doubt aware, admittance into Beacon Academy requires all applicants pass a rigorous entrance exam.

Mr. Schnee. Despite your less than stellar marks at your previous school you passed the test with little to no difficulty. Ms. Belladonna on the other hand. You attended no combat school prior to Beacon. Yet you also passed the exam with flying colors."

"I was raised outside the kingdoms." Blake revealed. "If you can't fight then you can't survive."

"Well there is no doubt that you have done just that. I admire your drive, and I am proud to say that I run an institution that accepts students from all walks of life. Whether they be rich, poor, human, faunus…" he took a sip from his mug and looked to Natsu. "Or something else entirely."

The pinkette tilted his head to the side. _What's that supposed to mean?_

Blake glared at the headmaster.

"Why do you wear that bow, Blake?" Ozpin asked. "Why hide who you are?"

"You and Natsu may be willing to accept the faunus, Professor Ozpin, but your species is not."

"True, but I like to believe that we are taking strides to lessen that divide."

Blake scoffed at this. "With all due respect, you need to take **larger** strides. Until then I'd rather avoid any unnecessary attention." She looked to Natsu. "I want people to see me for who I am." Then back to Ozpin. "Not what I am."

"Kitty…" Natsu muttered.

"So tell me then. What are you?" Ozpin asked Blake.

This question caught Blake off-guard.

"I don't understand."

"How did the two of you know the White Fang would be at the shipyard tonight?"

"I-"

"We heard a rumor." Natsu spoke up, surprising Blake. "Someone said the White Fang were going to be at the shipyard so we went to check it out to see if it was true."

"We were just at the right place at the right time." Blake added.

"You wouldn't be the first." Ozpin grinned knowingly. "What happened tonight was far from an isolated incident. While I am your Headmaster, I am also a Huntsman. Which means that it is my sworn duty to combat the evils that would conspire against this world. So I ask, is there anything else you two would like to tell me?"

The pair looked into Ozpin's eyes. He was in no certain terms imploring them to come clean.

"I'm sure." Blake lied.

"Nothing." Natsu followed suit.

"I see…" Ozpin gathered his belongings and left the table. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Belladonna. Mr. Schnee."

Before leaving the room, Ozpin gave the pair one last look of sympathy. "If you ever need to talk. Please, don't hesitate to ask."

* * *

A knock came at the door, pulling Blake back to the present.

"Come in."

In walked Natsu.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hey."

She watched the pinkette pull up a chair, turn it around, and sit in front of her bed.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just looked a little weird back in the library."

"That's how I always look." she joked.

"Kitty."

Blake sighed. "I know. I'm sorry for worrying you and the others. It's just…I have a lot on my mind."

"That's what friends are for." Natsu smiled and puffed out his chest. "Whatever's on your mind, just lay it on me. Despite what my sister says I'm pretty good listener."

Blake found herself grinning in appreciation, even mustering a light chuckle. Before she could say anything, the door swung open again. Her team entered the room.

"We should have never let him play!" Yang complained.

"You're just mad because the new guy beat you." Ruby teased. "If you had just attacked when I told you none of this would have happened."

"Natsu, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked.

"Just popped by on the way to my room."

Blake stood up from her bed and made her way to the door.

"Stop." Weiss commanded, her finger pointed at the Faunus.

Blake complied and recalled her hand from the doorknob.

"Lately you've been quiet, anti-social, and moody." The heiress said.

"Have you met Blake?" Yang interjected.

"Now I understand that sort of behavior is your 'thing', but you've doing it much more frequently as of late. Which is, quite frankly, unacceptable."

Blake started to turn around.

"You promised that you would let us know if something was wrong." Weiss reminded. "So, Blake Belladonna!" Weiss leapt into the air, landing on the back of a chair as she pointed her finger at Blake. "What is wrong?!"

Her teammates and brother watched in awe as she effortlessly balanced on the teetering chair before putting it back at the desk.

It took a second for Blake to process what she just saw, but when she did she finally came clean

"I just…I just don't understand how everyone can be so calm."

"You're still thinking about Torchwick?" Ruby guessed.

"Torchwick. The White Fang. All of it! Something big is going to happen and no one seems to care!"

"Ozpin told us not to worry about it." Yang said. "I'm sure the police and Huntsman can handle it."

"Well I'm not!" Blake snapped. "They don't know the White Fang like I do!"

Natsu stood silent as his friend vented her frustrations. He had known she felt this way for a long time, and even though he wished she could let it go and move forward he also knew that this was a very big deal. This wasn't a matter that would simply go away. It had to be taken care of ASAP.

"Ok." Weiss said in attempt to lower the tension in the room. "Between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the four of you are all confident in your abilities to capture these ne'er do wells."

"Do what well?" Natsu questioned.

"Who?" Ruby added.

"But before you all get all gung-ho, allow me to once again be the voice of reason. We're students. We're not ready to tackle this sort of challenge."

"I-"Natsu spoke up.

"Not even you, Natsu." Weiss interrupted. " **None** of us are ready."

"And we'll never be ready!" Blake shouted. "Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait until we graduate. They are out there right now plotting their next move and we don't know what it is, but its coming! Whether we're ready for it or not!"

"Alright." Ruby took a breath. "All in favor of becoming the youngest huntresses to single-handedly bring down a corrupt criminal organization conspiring against the kingdom of Vale…say aye."

"Yes!" Yang eagerly accepted. "I love it when you're feisty."

Blake smiled.

"It could be fun." Weiss shrugged.

"None of you said 'aye'." Ruby said in disappointment,

"Aye."

The girls all looked to Natsu.

"Count me in." he volunteered.

"Absolutely not." Weiss refused. "This is not your fight, Natsu."

"How is it not?" he argued. "That Torchhead guy-"

"Torchwick." Yang corrected.

"Whatever. He shot me in the face **twice** and I still haven't paid him back. Besides did you really think I'm just going to let my friends and my little sister go out and fight these guys on their own?"

"What about your team? You have a responsibility as their leader."

"They'll be fine for a day or two without me. They might even join me if I ask them."

Weiss looked into her brother's determined gaze.

"Nothing I say will change your mind. Will it?"

"Hasn't before."

"Fine." she accepted. "You can come, but I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Isn't that my job?"

"Then it's settled." Blake said. "We're in this together."

"Let's hatch a plan." Ruby suggested.

"Yeah!" her sister agreed.

Ruby suddenly gasped in realization. "I left my board game in the library."

"We're doomed." Weiss said with a shake of her head.

Ruby zoomed out of the room. "I'll be right back!" Before she even reached the room next to her team's she ran into someone and fell to the ground.

"Oh god. Sorry."

Ruby looked up and saw Emerald and Mercury looming over her.

"Oh, hey guys! Where have you been all day?"

"We were out running errands." Mercury answered.

"In a bit of hurry there aren't you?" Emerald extended her hand and helped Ruby to her feet.

"Yeah. Sorry. I just left something behind in the library and was rushing to get it before it closed. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"You should be more careful in the future."

A voice came from behind Emerald and she stepped aside, revealing Cinder.

"Yeah I get that a lot." Ruby said with a rueful smile.

"Since we ran into you I do have a question. Have you seen our leader by chance?"

"Natsu? Oh yeah he's in our room." Ruby pointed. "Hey, Natsu! See you guys later." She then sped off to the library.

The pinkette poked his head out of the open door just as Ruby left the hall. "What's up? Oh hey, guys." He greeted his team. "Haven't seen you all day."

"We've been meaning to talk about that actually. Do you have the time to spare?" Cinder asked.

"Uh, yeah sure." Natsu turned to the rest of Team RWBY. "I'm going to head out. Just fill me in about the plan tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok." Blake nodded.

Natsu rejoined his team in the hall. Out of curiosity the girls poked their heads out into the hall. Once Team CMSN entered their own room, Team RWBY returned to theirs.

"Those three always pop in out of nowhere." Yang commented. "It's like they're ghosts or something."

"I barely see them in classes either." Blake noted.

"There's something about that Cinder girl that rubs me the wrong way." Weiss spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Something about her just seems…off. It's like she's hiding something."

"She does give off the same 'mysterious bad girl' vibe that Blake does." Yang said.

"No I don't." Blake argued.

"You totally do."

"I'm being serious." Weiss said. "I mean, how much do we really know about Natsu's teammates?"

"You worrying too much." Yang waved off. "Natsu trusts them. So they can't be all bad."

"That's the problem." Weiss argued. "My brother can be too trusting."

Cinder stood outside Team RWBY's door and listened to their conversation. Her eyes briefly flashed as a devious smirk slowly crept across her face.

* * *

 **Got this chapter out much quicker than I thought I would. Hopefully it lived up to expectations. I know this goes without saying but thank you guys for the support. I honestly did not expect this to be as popular as it is.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	18. On the Hunt for Answers

"Are you ready, Natsu?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Then we shall begin. Mercury?" Cinder stepped back and allowed the young man to walk into view.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this." He said to Natsu with a cocky smirk.

Natsu readied himself for a fight. "Bring it."

* * *

"You want...to apologize to me?"

Natsu's head cocked to side as he looked at the rest of his team.

"Yes." Cinder nodded. "We have not been the best teammates as of late. We are hardly around when you need us, and with the upcoming tournament it's imperative that we make our teamwork as strong as possible if we aim to win."

Natsu couldn't argue with that logic, but he still had reservations. "That's true, but you don't have to be sorry. You guys have things you gotta do, right? I don't want you to feel bad."

Cinder smiled. "You are much too understanding, but I can't say I dislike that quality about you."

"So what do we do now?"

"We should try and strengthen our relations as a team. Luckily, the upcoming festival gives us a perfect opportunity to do so."

"How?"

Cinder's answer was simple. "Training. Though we have been a team for the past number of months we have yet to show you our abilities, nor have we had the chance to fully explore yours."

"You're right. I don't know anything about how you guys fight. How are we gonna win the tournament if everything is a mystery?"

"Precisely. So I suggest that from now until the tournament we train every morning before classes start. Does that idea please you?"

Natsu smiled wide. "That sounds awesome."

Cinder returned his smile. "Good. We'll start tomorrow."

* * *

"Remember." Cinder said to the pair. "This is only a spar. We are showing one another our abilities. Nothing more."

"I thought I was team leader." Natsu grumbled.

"Ready?" Cinder held her hand in the air, then quickly lowered it. "Begin."

Natsu equipped Black Summer and charged his opponent. Mercury stuck out his foot to check Natsu's distance. The pinkette quickly ducked under. When he came up for an uppercut his shoulder touched Mercury's calf. Mercury forced his leg down onto Natsu's collarbone, briefly staggering the pinkette as well as making his left arm go numb.

 _What the-?_

Mercury smirked. A shot fired from his boot, ringing Natsu's ears. Due to his enhanced hearing the pain was a little more than he could handle. He fell to a knee.

Mercury lifted his leg and fired another shot, this one sent his leg rocketing down towards Natsu's collarbone once more. The pinkette blocked with his forearms - ignoring the pain shooting through them - and pushed Mercury back. His teammate flipped backwards, twisting in the air before landing perfectly on his feet.

Natsu stood up, shaking his arm to get feeling back in it. _That was way harder than a normal kick._

"Figure it out yet?" Mercury asked.

Using the rounds in his boots, Mercury propelled himself forward at a frightening speed. He swung his legs in a series of spin kicks that Natsu barely managed to block.

"He can hardly handle, Mercury." Emerald said to Cinder with a snort. "Maybe that time in the forest was just a fluke."

"Just wait a little longer." Cinder replied.

 _His attacks have a pattern._ Natsu thought as he pushed back even further. _What is it?_ He watched Mercury's stance closely for any tells. Mercury kicked, using this propulsion to slide the Natsu back when he blocked.

"That all you got?" the pinkette challenged.

"You see?" Cinder said with a grin. "He's adapting."

Mercury pivoted to change his stance and Natsu's eyes widened. _That's it!_

Mercury lifted his right leg and Natsu grabbed it almost instantly, surprising the young man.

"What-?"

"It took a few tries, but I've finally figured you out."

"What are you talking about?" Mercury struggled to get his leg free but Natsu's grip was two tight. He tried to attack with his other leg, but Natsu swatted it away.

"You always lead with the right when you start to attack. It was hard to tell earlier because you move so fast." He tightened his grip on Mercury's surprisingly hard - and cold -right shin, the heat radiating from his hands slowly starting to burn away Mercury's pant leg.

"Whoa." Emerald was impressed. "Even I didn't know that."

"That's enough for now." Cinder called to the boys.

When Natsu let go of Mercury's leg his eyes went wide. "Your leg…"

From the shreds of Mercury's pant leg, Natsu saw nothing but metal.

"Oh this?" Mercury didn't seem too worried about the reveal. "Got into an accident. One thing lead to another and I ended up with these babies."

"That's why you kicked so hard."

"One of the reasons. Good job catching me, but I promise it won't be that easy next time." Mercury then walked back to Cinder.

"You're next, Emerald." Cinder said.

"Yes, ma'am."

Emerald stepped up to face her team leader.

"So what can you do?" Natsu asked as he readied himself.

"You'll see in a minute."

"Natsu?"

The pinkette looked to the trees, surprised to see his sister standing there with a scowl on her face.

"Weiss?" Natsu jogged over to her. "What are you out doing here?"

"I could very well ask you the same thing. Class is about to start. Why are you all the way out here in the woods?"

"I-"Natsu felt a presence and quickly spun around, coming to face to face with Emerald's kusarigama. He forced her back with a punch from Black Summer, watching as she flew landed on her feet a few meters back. "What are you doing?! You could have hit Weiss! Weiss, are you-"

When Natsu turned around to face his sister again, she was gone.

"What? Where did she go?"

"You should really pay attention to your opponent, 'leader'."

Natsu looked over his shoulder, seeing Emerald standing behind him with her pistol pointing at his face.

"Why don't you give it up?"

Natsu could see the willingness in Emerald's eyes. Any sudden movement and she would shoot. Even if she was using dust rounds, being shot at such close range would hurt...a lot. If it didn't kill him, it would at least scar his face for awhile.

As his mind went through scenarios to get him out of his predicament, Natsu noticed something very odd.

 _Why can't I smell her?_

Normally Emerald smelled like chocolate with just a small dash of mint, but right now she smelled like nothing. That seemed impossible given how close she was to him. Her smell should have been flooding his nostrils. When he thought a little longer he realized he couldn't even smell the gun she was holding.

Suddenly he had another thought. When Weiss had appeared earlier, he couldn't smell her either. Once more she had simply shown up. He never heard her approach. Weiss was good a sneaking around when she wanted to, but she was never good enough to fool her brother.

Cinder saw the contemplative look on Natsu's face and grinned.

"Shoot." Natsu said to Emerald.

This surprised his teammate. "What? Are you crazy?"

"You got me right where you want me. I'm not going to give up. So the only way to stop me is to shoot." He then smirked cockily. "Unless you're scared."

Emerald tightened her grip on the trigger. "Don't test me, pinkie. I really will shoot you."

"The only thing stopping you is air. Pull the trigger."

Emerald clenched her teeth as she looked into Natsu's eyes. He wasn't afraid in the slightest. After a few seconds of grandstanding, Emerald loosened her grip on the trigger and dropped her arm. Then she faded away.

"You gonna come down?" Natsu asked to seemingly no one.

There was rustling in a nearby tree and down to the ground hopped Emerald. "How did you know it was an illusion?"

Natsu tapped the side of his nose. "You didn't have a smell. Besides if you were going to shoot me you would have done it instead of talking about it. At least that's what I think."

Emerald smirked and walked past Natsu. "I really will pull the trigger next time."

He smiled. "I know."

Cinder stepped forward once Emerald returned to her side.

"So are you and I gonna fight now?"

"Not exactly. I want to try something different. Let's focus on you now. In the mountains you showed me that you could conjure fire, correct?"

"Yeah?" Natsu had no idea where his alluring teammate was going with this.

"Can you do it now?" Cinder requested.

"Um, ok. Sure. "Natsu opened his right hand and created a small blaze. "Like this?"

Cinder nodded. "Yes. Like that. I wonder...can you make it bigger?"

"I don't know. I'll try." Natsu created a fire in his opposite hand the same size of the first. He held the flames towards each other and focused his energy. Little by little the flames started to grow. "How big do you want it?"

"As big as you can."

"Alright. You asked for it." Natsu concentrated as hard he could. His body started to shake. His teeth were clenched so tight that it was wonder they hadn't broken. The grass beneath his feet started to sizzle and the air around him started shimmering with heat waves.

"I'm starting to sweat over here." Mercury said, waving himself off.

"Cinder?" Emerald questioned. She was starting to get worried about the heat Natsu was generating.

"Just a little longer." Cinder said quickly. She couldn't take her eyes off of Natsu. The more his power rose, the more excited she got. _He was right. This power is not a semblance. It's something else entirely. Something...more._

Natsu's hands were now almost completely outstretched, the small fireball he started with having grown to be almost as big as the statue in the school's courtyard.

"Cinder, maybe we should put a stop to this." Emerald urgently suggested.

Cinder ignored her concerns. She was too enraptured by the "beauty" of Natsu's flames.

Natsu strained to maintain the integrity of the fireball while making it bigger, and for a brief moment Cinder saw a black prominence flash from the edge of the ball.

 _What was that?_

"Cinder!"

The conniving young woman came to her senses at Emerald's shout.

"Natsu, you can stop now!"

Natsu dispersed the fire and fell to a knee. His breathing was labored, but he was otherwise alright. Cinder walked over to him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Natsu nodded. "Just...need a minute to catch my breath. I've never done something like that before. What's next?"

"I believe that's enough for today. We don't want to you to hurt yourself on the first day. Now that we have a direction we can train in earnest."

"Direction?"

Cinder held out her hand to Natsu. The pinkette grabbed it and was pulled to his feet.

"We're going to work on our teamwork of course." Cinder elaborated with a grin. "But first I am going to teach you how to control your fire."

* * *

Professor Port's ramblings filled the air of his classroom. Having started another trip down memory lane, the portly professor paced back and forth across his platform methodically as he told his latest tale. Most of his students had either fallen asleep or simply occupied themselves with other things like playing games or talking amongst themselves. Some even took notes.

Weiss Schnee found herself somewhere in the middle of this broad spectrum.

Staring at the holographic clock before her - which read 3:59 PM - Weiss realized she had been distracted nearly the entire day, and it was for one reason - Natsu.

While on her way to the bathroom that morning before class she happened on Team CMSN coming in the dormitory from the stairs. Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder were perfectly fine, but her brother looked exhausted. It was like he had went ten rounds with a pack of ursai.

Being the doting sister that she was, Weiss immediately pressed Team CMSN for answers. Natsu waved her off, explaining that they were training to prepare for the tournament.

 _What kind of training are they doing?_

Weiss for lack of a better word, worried. She had been ever since Team CMSN formed. There was something about the trio of Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald that always bothered her. At first she thought it was irritation on her part for not being on the same team as her brother, but that was challenged when she was questioned by Cinder in Forever Fall.

 _"Has Natsu always been strong? Power like that is not easily contained."_

 _What did she mean by that?_ Weiss wondered.

It struck her as odd that after being mostly non-existent for the first semester, Natsu's team now suddenly wanted to become friends. It didn't add up.

Jaune slid over to the heiress, completely oblivious to the still mood hanging around her.

"So, Weiss. I was thinking after this…maybe we could grab a bite to eat?"

Weiss didn't respond to Jaune.

 _That Cinder girl is hiding something. I just know it._

"I-I got tickets to that new Spruce Willis move if you don't mind making the trip to Vale. I heard it's awesome."

 _But what do I do? I can't just accuse her of something foul without proof. What if I'm just being overprotective and find out that there is nothing wrong. I would look like a fool._

Jaune was starting to panic - more so than usual - at Weiss' silence.

"Maybe we could study together? I mean you're so smart, and I-"

Jaune was interrupted by the ringing of the final school bell. Without as much as a word Weiss stood up from her seat with a renewed sense of determination.

 _I'll ask Natsu to take me along next time they train. That way I can see for myself what is really going on._

"I guess I timed that one wrong." Professor Port apologized. "Well the conclusion of the story will have to wait. Until next time."

"Weiss? Did you hear me?" Jaune asked as the heiress walked away.

"No. No. No. Yes."

Once again tasting the bitter fruit of rejection, Jaune's head flopped onto the desk. The rest of Team RWBY passed by him.

"One day, lady killer." Yang reassured, rubbing Jaune's head.

* * *

"I thought that class would never end."

Blake tightened the wraps on her wrists while she walked the length of her team's room.

"Alright, guys. Today's the day. The investigation begins!"

Ruby leapt down from her bed with a triumphant smile, prompting Weiss to scoot back on her own bed.

"I'm so glad we're taking this seriously." She sarcastically remarked.

"Hey we got a plan that's…moderately serious." Yang said with an uneasy smile.

"Does everyone know their roles?" Ruby prompted.

"You, me and Natsu will go to the CCT and check the Schnee Company records for any dust robberies and inconsistencies. Seeing as how Natsu and I are in the family, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members." Blake revealed. "If I can infiltrate them, I should be able to get some worthwhile information about what they're planning."

"I have an old friend on the shady side of town that basically knows everything going on in Vale. Shouldn't be too hard to get something out of him." Yang said last.

"Great!" Ruby chirped. "We'll meet up with Yang tonight to go over what we found. Let's do…wait." She looked around the room. "Where's Natsu?"

The other girls searched for the pinkette as well.

"I don't know." Yang shrugged. "I saw him in class this morning."

"He ate lunch with us too." Blake said. "He looked completely exhausted."

"Well we can't start without him." Said Ruby. "Weiss, can you go-"

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door swung open and in walked Natsu.

"Where have you been?" His sister interrogated. "We were just about to start without you."

"Sorry." He yawned. "I took a nap after lunch. I guess I overslept."

"Natsu, that was four hours ago." Ruby said in disbelief. "You missed the second half of the day."

"I did?" Natsu yawned again.

"If you're that tired then you should stay behind." Blake suggested. "We can handle this without you."

"No way." Natsu refused. "I'll be fine once we get started."

The girls knew Natsu was much more tired than he let on. His eyes were half open, and his posture was slightly hunched. He looked like he would fall asleep at a moment's notice.

"I can handle it." He stated.

"Ok." Ruby reluctant accepted. "Well now that everyone is here let the investigation officially begin!"

"Yeah!" everyone echoed.

"Yeah!"

An unknown voice forced the quintet's attentions to the open window. There they saw Sun hanging upside down from his tail.

"Room for one more?"

The others took a step back.

"Sun?! How did you get up there?" Yang inquired.

"This? It's easy. I do it all the time. It's just like climbing a tree." He jumped into the room. "We finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"

"Yes." Natsu answered.

Blake stepped forward. " **We** are going to investigate the situation…as a **team**."

Sun caught on to her meaning rather quickly.

"So why is Natsu here?" he pointed.

"He's family. So he counts." Weiss explained.

"Sorry, Sun." Ruby apologized. "We don't want to get anyone else involved if we don't have to."

"Well that's dumb. You should always get friends involved if you're doing something crazy. That's why I brought Neptune along."

The girls looked out of the window and sure enough there was Neptune; standing on the narrow ledge on the outside of the building.

"How did you even get up here?" Ruby questioned with a raise of her brow.

"I have my ways." He shrugged. "But seriously though can I come in? We are really high up right now."

The girls allowed it and Neptune graciously entered through the window, but as soon as he felt Natsu's glare he thought of jumping back out.

"Ok. Slight change of plans." Ruby said. "Natsu and I will still go with Weiss, but Sun, you go with Blake, and Neptune can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner. Good?"

"Actually, Ruby…" Weiss spoke up. "How about you and Natsu go with Yang? I mean she is your sister after all, and I doubt Natsu wants to do something boring like talk to a receptionist. I'm sure Yang will offer plenty excitement for him."

Natsu and Ruby were confused by her suggestion.

"Then who would go with you?" The latter asked.

"Well…I guess Neptune could come with me."

Natsu and Ruby looked to one another for brief moment before the former started laughing.

"Nah."

"Yeah that's not happening." Natsu firmly denied.

"But…but…"

Ruby grabbed Weiss by the collar and dragged her out of the room, Natsu not far behind.

* * *

"I can't believe you!"

"I just don't like that guy."

"You don't even know him."

"So? I just get a bad vibe from him."

Ruby rolled her eyes and let out a weary sigh. Weiss and Natsu had been arguing ever since they left the dorms. Weiss kept going on and on about how Natsu was being overprotective, while Natsu argued that he thought Neptune was just a playboy that would hurt Weiss in the long run.

Despite being severely annoyed with their bickering, Ruby was pleasantly surprised that Natsu actually had those kinds of thoughts when it came to his sister dating. Ruby herself saw nothing wrong with Neptune. Yeah he could be a tad full of himself, but all in all he was harmless. Interestingly enough Ruby thought Natsu and Neptune had a couple of things in common. They could both be cocky, but at the same time be complete dorks as well. When she thought of these similarities she giggled.

"So you claim to get a bad vibe from Neptune, but not from your own team?" Weiss argued.

Natsu was confused by the sudden accusation. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Weiss quickly covered her mouth. "N-nothing." _I can't let him know about my suspicions._

Natsu's eyes narrowed. He knew his sister was hiding something. "Spill it."

"Spill what? I didn't say anything."

"Weiss-"

"Oh look! There's the tower!"

Weiss quickly deflected her brother's agitated stare and pointed to the massive transmit tower in front of them. It stretched so high that spire at the top looked like poked into the clouds.

"Wow!" Ruby squealed. "I forgot how big the transit tower looks up close!"

"You should see the one in Atlas."

Ruby gasped. "That was the first one, right?!"

"Right. Atlas constructed the first Cross-Continental Transmit system as a way for the four kingdoms to communicate. It was considered a gift after the Great War."

"Oh look at me. My name's Weiss. I know facts. I'm rich." Ruby teased.

Natsu snickered along with Ruby. "She does sound like that."

"Will you two stop being pests? Besides the only reason we're even here is because Ruby wanted to see the tower. We could have just as easily made a call from the library."

"Yeah but it's just so cool." Ruby gushed. "I need to take a picture!" Ruby frantically searched for her scroll. In the midst of her fumbling around she lost control and dropped her scroll. It was sent bouncing on the ground, hitting the leg of a girl who happened to be nearby.

"Oh." She picked up the device and handed it back to its owner. "You dropped this."

"Thank you so much! I…Penny?!"

"No way." Natsu gasped.

The pale-skinned girl looked at the trio with her eyes wide in shock.

"Umm…"

"Where have you been?" Ruby interrogated.

"We haven't seen you since the dock fight!" Natsu added. "Where did you go?"

"S-sorry. I think you are confused." Penny hiccupped. "I've got to go." She zoomed off.

"What was that about?" asked Weiss.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ruby said. "You two make the call. I'll catch up to you later." With that said she ran after Penny.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss called.

"I'm going too." Natsu said.

"No, Natsu. You can't leave. We have a job to do."

"It's just a call. You can handle it. We'll meet up later, ok?"

"But…"

Natsu followed after Ruby and Penny, leaving his sister alone.

Weiss reached out to him, but lowered her arm when he was out of the range of her voice.

"I don't wanna go alone…" she muttered.

Ruby and Natsu soon caught up to Penny.

"Penny, where have you been? It's been weeks." Ruby said.

"Come on. At least tell us something." Natsu implored. "We were worried about you."

"There seems to be…a misunderstanding." Penny answered, not breaking her stride.

"Is everything ok?" Ruby worried. "Please, stop." She grabbed Penny's arms, finally halting her advance so she and Natsu could catch up. "I don't know what's going on, but we think that those guys back from the docks are up to something big. Something bad!"

"Just tell us what happened to you that night." Natsu requested. "Where did you go?"

"Please, Penny." Ruby pleaded. "We're your friends."

After a moment of quiet reflection Penny sighed.

"It isn't safe to talk here."

* * *

Weiss strolled into the CCT tower with her usual pomp and grace, but on the inside she was a mess. She entered the elevator at the end of the hall and was greeted by an automated information system.

"Hello. Welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to go to the communications room please."

"Of course. May I ask that you please place your scroll on the terminal to confirm your identity?"

Weiss did as instructed and held her scroll up to the elevator terminal. After a few seconds of scanning the automated system sounded again.

"Perfect. Thank you, Ms. Schnee. You will be arriving in the communications room shortly. Thank you for your patience."

As the elevator ascended the shaft to the top floor, Weiss practiced her smile. She tried a few times, but nothing satisfied her. It was all too artificial. Anyone who looked at her would automatically tell she was faking.

"Stupid, Natsu." She cursed under her breath. "Why is he making me do this alone?"

A bell rang and the elevator doors slid open to reveal the communications room. As expected it was a very spacious room with numerous monitors and terminals circling the walls. It was also very high up. One look outside of the massive windows above the terminals would give anyone a case of vertigo.

When Weiss approached the front desk a hologram showing a young girl – most likely the building's AI - appeared in the empty chair.

"Welcome to the Beacon Cross-Continental Transmit Center. How may I help you?"

"I would like to a make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas." Weiss requested.

The hologram typed on the keyboard at the desk to set everything up. "Absolutely. If you could please make your way to terminal three I would be happy to patch you through."

"Thank you."

Weiss walked over to her designated terminal and sat down. She took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts as the terminal started to ring. She was not looking forward to this call, but she put on a smile anyway.

Within a few seconds a woman with shoulder length orange hair and wearing a gray uniform appeared on the screen.

"Thank you for calling the Atlas-oh! Ms. Schnee! Good Afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister may be here as well."

"No thank you." Weiss quickly declined. "I was actually hoping you could locate some files for me. I've made a short list." Weiss placed her scroll on the stand next to the keyboard. The data filtered from her terminal to the desk worker's.

When she looked over the list, her eyebrow raised.

"I…see. If you don't mind my asking, what exactly is this for?" It was clear from her tone that she was less than enthusiastic about releasing the information Weiss requested.

"Natsu and I need it for a school project." Weiss lied with a smile. "Is there a problem?"

"No, ma'am…it's just...well there a lot of sensitive documents on this list."

"Then we will be sure to treat them with the utmost care."

"Right." The receptionist was still uneasy, but in the end she acquiesced. "Very well. I am transferring the data to your scroll now."

"Wonderful. Thank you for all of your help."

"My pleasure. Are you sure you wouldn't like me to get in touch with your father before you go?"

Weiss flashed an uneasy smile. "Yes. I'm sure."

The receptionist could read her distressed expression and decided to let it go. "Alright. Have a nice day."

The screen faded to black, reflecting Weiss' despondent frown in the monitor.

* * *

Penny could hardly keep still. Every few seconds she was turning and twisting her head all around. It was like she was anticipating some sort of attack from an unknown assailant.

She felt a hand on her shoulder she jumped. When she realized the hand belonged to Ruby – with Natsu standing beside her - Penny finally relaxed. She could trust her friends.

"Follow me."

The three started down the sidewalk of Vale's market district.

"I really wish I could help the two of you, but I don't anything about those men." Penny said apologetically.

"Well at least tell us what happened to you that night." Ruby requested.

"One minute you were fighting with us and then the next you were gone." Natsu said.

"Were you kidnapped?!" Ruby fretted.

"Oh no nothing like that." Penny reassured.

"Then where did you go?"

"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far but…you have to understand, my father loves me a lot. He just worries a bit too much."

"I can relate." Ruby said.

"I can't." Natsu retorted. "My dad really isn't really the worrying type."

"I am sorry to hear that." Penny apologized.

"Not your fault." Natsu shrugged. "I've been just fine without him."

"Why didn't you at least let us know you were ok?" Ruby asked Penny.

"I…was asked not to talk to you, or Weiss, or Blake, or Yang. Anyone really."

"Was your dad that mad about you running off?" Natsu asked.

"No. It wasn't my father that asked me…"

The three rounded a corner and entered the city square. There they came upon a demonstration being conducted by the military. On the stage in the middle of the square were two pods with three robots in front of each of them. In front of the robots was a hologram of the Atlesian Military General, James Ironwood.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

Natsu unconsciously clenched his teeth at the sight. He was never much of a fan of Ironwood. He just seemed like a man more concerned about military power than actually running his school at Atlas. He even attempted to recruit Natsu right after he graduated Combat School. If not for his older sister - Winter - talking him out of it, he might have.

"The AK-130 has been the standard security model for the entirety of Remnant over the past several years, and they've done a fine job wouldn't you all agree?"

Those assembled to hear the holographic general all clapped as the aforementioned robots bowed in appreciation.

"But Atlas is a kingdom of innovation, and fine…" Ironwood turned to the crowd and smiled. "Well that's just not good enough is it?"

The pods opened, revealing six new robots. Their designs were much more streamlined than their now out of date counterparts. The silvery, dull gray replaced with vibrant white and stark black. Mounted on their shoulders were mini-cannons and their overall design made them appear much more human-like.

"Presenting: the Atlesian Knight 200!"

The new robots stepped forth from their pods, kicking over the still bowing AK-130s to the ground. The crowd cheered.

"Smarter, sleeker, and admittedly a little less scary."

The robots began posing and making funny gestures.

"These models will be active later this year, but they will not be alone! The Atlesian Military has always been a big supporter of the idea of removing men from the battlefield altogether, however there are still many situations that require…a human touch."

Ruby watched the display with awe. Penny with apprehension. Natsu was somewhere in the middle.

"Is he serious?" he grumbled.

"Our greatest minds, partnered with the Schnee Dust Company, are proud to introduce…the Atlesian Paladin!"

Ironwood's hologram shrunk and in its place stood a hologram of a massive mobile unit. It was heavily armored from head to toe, its hands being replaced with state of the art blasters.

"Now we couldn't get any to show you today," Ironwood said. "But rest assured these mechanized battle suits will be defending our borders within the year!"

The crowd cheered once more.

"Whoa…" Ruby marveled, her jaw nearly on the floor as her eyes sparkled at the magnificent weapons before her. "Your family helped make that thing, Natsu?"

"Looks like it." The pinkette answered. He didn't sound too happy about it.

Penny started to back away from her friends. "Perhaps we should go somewhere else."

Two soldiers pointed at Penny and she took off, running into the alleyway across the street.

"Penny, where are you going?!" Ruby called.

"Wait up!" Natsu ran after her.

"Natsu?!" Ruby followed him when she saw the soldiers heading towards her.

The trio were chased through the alleyways by the soldiers.

"They're gaining on us!" Ruby shouted to Natsu.

"I know! What do they want?!"

"I don't know, but Penny looked really scared! Maybe those are the men that took her!"

Natsu looked ahead and a wooden platform with crates labeled "Breakable Things" sitting on it.

"Ruby!" he shouted, pointed to one of the legs of the platform.

"On it!"

Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose from the holster on her lower back. When she and Natsu passed the platform, she cut the legs from under it. The boxes tumbled to the ground, blocking off the soldiers.

When the pair finally caught sight of Penny, Ruby ran along the wall and jumped to grab her.

"This way!"

Focusing as much of her power as she could, Ruby used her Semblance to propel herself and Penny through the next alley. The force proved to be too much for Ruby howeverl and she lost control, dropping Penny as she herself rolled into the street.

Her body recovering from the shock, Ruby hardly noticed the delivery truck barreling towards her at full speed.

"Ruby!" Natsu equipped Black Summer but before he could make a move Penny shot out of the alley. She pushed Ruby out of the way and held out her hands, stopping the truck in its tracks. The elderly driver was shaken, but otherwise unharmed.

Natsu ran out to the sidewalk, his eyes wide at what he just saw. "Whoa…"

"Penny?" Ruby warily called. She – like Natsu – had no idea how to process what just happened.

"Are you ok?" Penny asked the driver.

Though still clearly frightened, the elderly man behind the wheel managed an affirmative nod. Finally realizing what she had done, Penny took a step back from the truck. To her left stood Natsu and to the right stood Ruby, both of them shocked but at the same time concerned for their friend.

Within a matter of seconds, more people slowly started to gather around the scene of the crash.

"What happened?"

"Looks like some kind of car crash."

"Is that girl?"

"Is she ok?"

"Should we call the police?"

Unable to handle the pressure Penny took off again.

"Hey, wait!" Natsu called, reaching out to her.

The pale skinned girl pushed past Ruby and into another alley.

"Penny! Come back!" Ruby pleaded.

"Come on! We gotta go after her!" Natsu said. The two chased after Penny once more.

The soldiers chasing them earlier finally arrived at the scene, though their target was nowhere in sight.

"Penny!"

Penny stopped running when she heard Natsu call out to her. She desperately looked for somewhere to hide, but it was too late.

"Please! What is going on?!" Ruby pleaded.

"What was that back there?" Natsu interrogated. "Are you alright?"

"Why are you running?!" Ruby added.

"I-I can't. Everything is fine!" Penny hiccupped. "I-I don't want to talk about it." She folded her hands under her arms and hiccupped again.

"If you just tell what's going on we can help you." Ruby offered.

"We're your friends. Remember?" Natsu reminded.

Penny turned away. "No. No. No. I can't. You wouldn't understand."

"You gotta let us try first." Natsu argued.

"You can trust us." Ruby said.

Penny quickly stepped to the pair. "You're my friends right?" She frantically asked. "You promise you're my friends?"

"Of course we are." Ruby nodded.

"That's what we've been trying to tell you." Natsu added.

Penny took a deep breath and slowly opened her hands to them. The skin on her palms was almost gone…revealing metal underneath.

"I'm not a real girl." She confessed.

Natsu was speechless and all Ruby could muster was a simple: "Oh."

After a few seconds of silence – mostly to gather her thoughts – the leader of Team RWBY started to speak again.

"Penny…I don't think I understand." She admitted.

"You're…a robot?" Natsu questioned.

"Something like that." Penny answered. She looked at her hands. "Most girls were born, but I was made. I am the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura." She looked down at the ground in shame and closed her hands. "I'm not real."

Natsu and Ruby looked to each for some sign of how to proceed. After a moment they smiled. Ruby grabbed Penny's hands, while Natsu placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course you're real." Ruby said. "You think having nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than us?"

"That explains that weird smell I picked up when I met you." Natsu smiled. "I've never been friends with a robot before. This is kinda awesome."

Penny was taken aback by the pair's rather calm behavior. It was almost off-putting.

"I don't…um…you two are taking this surprisingly well."

"You're not like those things we saw back there." Ruby poked Penny's chest. "You've got a heart and a soul. I can feel it."

"Yeah. Can't be real if you don't have those." Natsu echoed. "So you don't have anything to worry about."

Penny could hardly contain her adulation. She grabbed Natsu and Ruby and pulled their heads in close for a hug.

"You two are the best friends anyone could have!"

Natsu tapped her back. "Penny…can't…breathe…"

"I can see why your father would wanna protect such a delicate flower." Ruby struggled, her air fading fast as well in Penny's death grip.

To their relief Penny finally let them go just before they passed out

"Oh my father is very sweet!" Penny bragged. "He's the one that built me. You two would love him! I'm sure of it!"

"He built you all by himself?" Ruby inquired.

"Almost. He had a little help from Mr. Ironwood."

"The general?!" Natsu exclaimed.

Penny nodded.

"Is that why those soldiers were after you?" Ruby asked.

Penny nodded again. "They like to protect me too."

"From what I've seen you don't really need much help with that." Natsu said, thinking back to the dock fight and the car accident.

"They're not sure if I'm ready yet. One day it will be my job to save the world, but I have still have a long way to go. That is why father let me come to Vytal Festival. So I can see what it's like in other kingdoms and prove myself in the tournament."

"Save the world?" Natsu questioned. "From what?"

"We're in a time of peace." Ruby elaborated.

Penny titled her head, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "That's not what Mr. Ironwood said."

"Check down here!"

The trio heard a voice coming from around the corner and started to panic.

"Oh no! The soldiers from earlier!" Ruby fretted. "What do we do?"

Natsu stood ready to face them. "You guys make a break for it. I'll hold them off."

"No. You both have to hide."

Penny grabbed Natsu and Ruby and threw them into the nearby dumpster.

"What's the big idea?!" Natsu shouted angrily.

"Penny, don't do this." Ruby begged. "We can help you. You don't have to go with them."

"It's ok." Penny reassured. "They're not bad people. I just don't want you two to get into trouble on my behalf. Also, you both have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about my secret."

"We promise." Ruby nodded.

"Your secret is safe with us." Natsu added.

Penny smiled at her friends. "Thank you. Until we meet again." She closed the dumpster lid right as the soldiers arrived.

Ruby cracked the lid open just enough to see the bow-wearing android confront the soldiers.

"Salutations, officers!" she greeted.

"What's going on?" Natsu asked. "I can't see. Are they taking her away?"

"Shh." Ruby shushed. "They'll hear us."

"Why were you running?" One of the officers demanded. "What happened to the other two that were with you?"

"What other two?" Penny asked.

"The boy and the girl."

"I've been by myself all day." Penny answered. She hiccupped soon after.

"Regardless, you shouldn't cause such a scene." The other officer said.

"Are you ok?"

Penny held out her hands so they could see. "Just a scratch."

"You're father isn't going to happy about this, Penny."

"Please, just come with us."

"Yes, sir." Penny saluted and was escorted by the soldiers out of the alleyway. Ruby watched her friend leave with a smile on her face. "Good luck, Penny."

"Can you get off me now?" Natsu strained. "I think your knee is crushing my rib."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Ruby started to get out of the dumpster, but when she saw a rat skitter by her foot she yelped in fright and jumped back, landing right on top of Natsu.

"Oww~." He groaned.

Ruby anxiously laughed. "Sorry." She apologized.

* * *

 **New chapter! Adding a bit more to do with the rest of Team CMSN. Not much else to say.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	19. Tragic Investigation

Yang Xiao Long raced through the dark streets of downtown Vale on her trusty motorcycle, Bumblebee. Ever since coming to Beacon she had been dying to take it for a spin in the city streets. Thanks to this mission she finally could.

The wind blowing through her long blonde hair, she was reminded of the freedom of speeding through the woods back home in Patch. Sometimes she wished she could go back to those halcyon days.

She drifted around the corner under the bridge connecting up and downtown, stopping in front of a building with loud music coming out of it. She took off her helmet, letting her long blonde locks settle back into place. From outward appearances it was some sort of nightclub.

"Come on. My friend's in here."

Neptune – who's hair was in all directions after the wild ride Yang took him on – shook the cobwebs out of his head. "Cool." He stepped off of Bumblebee and followed Yang to the building entrance. "Where is here exactly?"

"Just a little spot I found when I first came to Beacon. The guys here are really cool."

Yang spotted two men in black suits and waved. "Hey, boys. How's it going? Junior in?"

"Oh crap it's her! Run!"

The two man ran inside with their tails between their legs.

"Does that always happen to you?" Neptune asked Yang.

"They're just joking. Come on."

The frightened men burst inside the club and quickly closed the doors.

Their boss – Junior – stopped cleaning the glasses behind the bar and looked at his two guards with a less than pleased expression.

"What are you two idiots doing?" he demanded. "We open in five minutes!"

"She's here, Junior! She's back!" one of the bouncers panicked.

"What are you talking about? Who's back?"

"That crazy girl! It's-"

An explosion forced the door of it's hinges and onto the dance floor, knocking the bouncers out. Yang - the cause of the ruckus - calmly stepped out from the cloud of dust.

"Guess who?!" she announced with a smile.

Every man under junior's employ pointed their guns at the intruding blonde. The DJ even stopped the now skipping music that played before slowly descending under the booth.

"You greet every guest like this?" Yang asked with a pout.

When Neptune poked his head out from behind the blonde the guards cocked their pistols.

"I think we need to redefine your definition of the word 'friend'." He said to the blonde.

"Stop! Hold it! Nobody shoot!" Junior ordered.

The men reluctantly lowered their weapons and Junior made his way to the head of the pack to greet Yang.

"Blondie…you're here." He said warily. "Why?"

"You owe me a drink." Yang grabbed by the arm and dragged him to the bar.

"What a woman." Neptune swooned. He straightened up when he saw a pair of attractive twin girls next to him. They both had long black hair, the only real difference being one wore a red dress and gauntlets with long sharp claws, and the other sported a white dress with what appeared to be blades attached to her boot heels.

"Sup." Neptune greeted with his usual swagger.

The sisters -Melanie and Militia Malachite - turned up their noses at him and walked away. "Whatever."

* * *

Blake poked her head from around the corner of the wall, watching carefully as two faunus – a boy and girl not much older than she – handed an elderly faunus man a piece of paper. Upon inspection he stepped aside, allowing them entry into the room behind him.

"This is it."

Blake turned to Sun.

"You sure?" he asked. Judging by his uneven tone he was beginning to have second thoughts about this plan. When Blake's glare hardened he stowed his concerns. "On second thought I'll just take your word for it."

Blake undid her bow to reveal her ears, and she and Sun followed after the pair of faunus.

Blake's lead placed her and Sun inside an abandoned warehouse on the south side of the city. The two that entered before were a pair that she had been tailing for the past few days. The warehouse was admittedly a dark and empty place. Blake surmised that it's somewhat remote location made it perfect for the White Fang to add numbers to their ranks away from local law enforcement and the military.

"I don't get it." Sun spoke up. He grabbed from his pocket the White Fang mask that Blake had given him earlier. "If you think what you're doing is right why hide who you really are?"

"They're a symbol." Blake answered. "Humanity wanted to make monsters out of us, so we did what they wanted and donned their faces."

"With Grimm masks? That's kinda dark."

"So is the man who started it." Blake put on her own mask and proceeded down the hall.

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you, isn't it?" He sarcastically asked. "How are you and Natsu such good friends again?"

"You have to ask him."

The pair tentatively entered the main meeting area. All around them they saw faunus wearing the same masks they were intermingled with regular members of the White Fang. Sun was astounded by how many people showed up. Blake was disgusted.

 _Do all of these faunus really believe in what the White Fang is doing?_

It just didn't seem right to her. She thought of the old White Fang logo. It was profile of a beast surrounded by a white circle. It was a simple but effective design. The circle represented the oppression of society, but the beast's head – which was almost too big for circle – signified the group's determination and will to achieve their goals over come society's barriers.

When Blake looked at the new symbol on the flag hanging on the stage from the rafters, she was saddened. Gone was the neutral beast and white circle. Instead replaced with a more violent depiction of the beast overlaid over three violent claw marks.

Instead of harmony and equality, the White Fang now stood for anarchy, fear, and violence. It made Blake sick to her stomach that she once saluted such a flag.

On the stage a man with a full Grimm mask and tattoos on his right arm awaited everyone's attention.

"Thank you all for coming. For those of you joining us for the first time tonight, allow me to introduce a very special comrade of ours. I can assure you he is the key to attaining what he have fought so long for. Roman Torchwick!"

"Thank you! Thank you! Please hold your applause."

The bowler hat wearing criminal sauntered onto the stage, taking the deafening jeers from the crowd in stride. Blake took notice of the girl sitting on a crate not far from the stage. She had two-tone pink and brown hair - with a white strike in the pink half - and an amused smirk on her face as she spin around the open umbrella in her hand.

 _She must be working with Torchwick._ Blake surmised.

"What's a human doing here?!" A young girl with deer antlers pointed.

"Glad you asked, my dear. To start let me be the first to admit that humans are just the worst. Present company accepted." He tipped his hat. "So I can understand why you'd like to see us locked away, or even killed."

"Is he going somewhere with this?" Sun whispered to Blake.

"However I would just like to mention that you and I have a common enemy; the ones who seek to control you; the people pulling the strings refusing to get their hands dirty when it counts; those dirty humans that run our kingdoms."

Slowly the crowd started to sway towards Torchwick's words. This did not fill Sun and Blake with confidence.

"Government. Military. Even our schools." Torchwick rallied off. "They are the ones to blame for your rotten circumstances. They're pests that need to be exterminated. Fortunately, you're looking at one of the best exterminators around. No offense to any rodents in the room."

Torchwick snapped his fingers and the White Fang flag fell to the wayside, revealing a giant military mech outfitted with the White Fang's colors and logo.

"That's…a big robot." Sun shakily said.

"How did he get a hold of that?" Blake questioned.

"Meet the Atlesian Paladin!" Torchwick presented. "The military's newest line of defense against anything that would threaten our fragile little world. Now some of you may be wondering how I managed to get my hands on such an exclusive item before it hit the shelves, but I assure you it was all legal." His smile betrayed his words, but he knew that.

"Thanks to my…employer we have a few of the babies ready to go at a moments notice. Some of your brothers have already relocated to our operation in the southeast. If you want to stay in the city that's fine, but if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in **this** is the arsenal I can provide you with. Any questions?"

At once everyone around Blake and Sun started clamoring for Torchwick, each one wanting the chance to pilot the mech.

"We need to get out of here." Blake urgently suggested.

"Will all new recruits please move forward?!"

The crowd started to move to the stage, leaving Blake and Sun in a rather uncomfortable situation.

"What do we do now?" Sun anxiously asked.

* * *

Junior slammed his glass on the bar top.

"For the last time, I don't know!"

"How can you not know?" Yang interrogated.

The two had been talking in circles for well over an hour. Yang needed information on Torchwick, and Junior was either unwilling to give it or simply unable. Either way it was a frustrating conversation for both parties.

"I haven't talked to him, nor have I seen him since the night he first came in here." Junior explained for what fel like the hundredth time. "He paid up front, I lent him some guys, and they never came back."

"So where did they go?"

Neptune bumped into the bar top when he ran over, knocking over Junior's empty glass. He tried his best to sound intimidating but the unamused look on the bar owner's face proved it wasn't working.

"Are you an idiot?" Junior insulted. "If I said 'they never came back' why the hell would you think I know where they went? Who are you anyway?"

"Never mind him." Yang interjected. "The only thing you need to worry about is me if I don't get what I want."

"I've told you everything I know. Torchwick hired some of my guys and I guess he wasn't happy. Believe me I know the feeling!"

The men at the door dropped their heads in shame.

Yang let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Thanks anyway. We're leaving, Neptune." She walked away from the bar, her partner close behind.

"We get everything we need?"

"More like everything we can. I just hope the others are having better luck."

* * *

Blake and Sun's luck had officially run out. The batch of new recruits moved towards the stage while they remained still. It wouldn't be long before someone caught on to them.

"A plan would nice right about now." Sun frantically whispered.

"I'm thinking." Said Blake.

She searched around the warehouse for some sort of exit, but was having no luck.

Torchwick watched the pair from the stage. After a few moments he threw down his cigar and walked towards them. Their cover had officially been blown.

"He sees us." Sun pointed out. He meekly waved at Torchwick in a vain attempt to quell the situation.

Just then Blake saw the fuse box.

"He can't see in the dark."

She grabbed Gambol Shroud and shot a round into the box, blowing apart the circuits and plunging the room into complete darkness.

"Don't let them get away!" Torchwick shouted. He made his way to the paladin with the help of the girl he had brought with him.

"Sun! The window!"

Using her night vision Blake was able to see perfectly in the darkness. While the White Fang and Torchwick fumbled around to find them, she grabbed by the collar Sun and yanked him along behind her. The two jumped out a nearby window and began running for their lives, just as the Paladin – now piloted by Torchwick – burst through the warehouse wall.

The chase soon took them back to the city, the faunus pair leaping across the rooftops while Torchwick chased from the street.

"I was just wondering…!" Sun shouted. "You've got backup right?!"

"On it!"

Blake grabbed her scroll and broadcasted a message to the others.

"Everyone! If you can hear me we need-"

"He~lp!" Sun interrupted. "We're being chased by a robot! It's big! Really big!"

Weiss exited the CCT tower just as she received the message. With a roll of her eyes she made her way to the city.

"Oh I am not missing this!" Ruby squealed with excitement.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Natsu exclaimed.

The two eagerly took off.

"Torchwick is in it, but not really! He's like controlling it somehow!" Sun continued.

"Where are you guys?" Yang asked.

Just then Blake and Sun passed Neptune and Yang, the Paladin hot on their heels.

"That might have been them." Neptune pointed.

"You think? Hang on!"

Yang started up Bumblebee and was in hot pursuit of the robot.

Making it out of the city proper, Blake and Sun jumped onto the highway. Riding on top of the cars of more than confused - and slightly frightened - drivers they watched as the Paladin barreled towards them, knocking car after car out of its path of destruction.

Yang and Neptune caught up to the surprisingly quick mech.

"We gotta slow it down!" Yang shouted to her passenger.

"On it!"

Torchwick saw the pair in his sensors and started hurling cars into the air, hoping to block their path and get rid of them.

"Hold on!" Yang revved the engine and Bumblebee sped up, narrowly missing the flying vehicles overhead as it darted from side to side. Neptune could barely keep a grip.

When they were steady again the blunette grabbed the rifle affixed to his back and fired shots at the Paladin. A couple of shots managed to hit the mech's backside with enough force to mildly slow it down. His rifle now changing into a guandao, Neptune leapt from Bumblebee to the mech. His weapon again changed, this time from a guandao into a trident, and he stuck it into the back of the Paladin.

After finally gaining some distance from the enemy, Blake and Sun watched Neptune struggle to stay on the back of the flailing robot.

"Neptune, hang on!"

Sun clapped his hands together. His hair and tail glowed and out of his body emerged two ethereal clones – one wielding a copy of his weapon - made of his golden aura. They ran to the Paladin, exploding on contact when they touched the mech.

Sun jumped at the mech with his weapon in hand. The Paladin managed to finally free itself of Neptune and throw him into Sun. The boys collided in mid-air, both of them falling off of the freeway and out of the fight.

"Oh no!" Blake shouted. "Sun! Neptune!"

"I'm in position!" she heard a voice shout from her scroll.

Just then Weiss jumped from a higher level of the highway and landed in front of the Paladin. When the battle suit was close enough to her she stuck Myrtenaster into the ground, creating a floor of ice. The Paladin lost control upon stepping on the ice and careened off the highway to the ground below. There it was was met by a waiting Ruby and Natsu.

The rest of Team RWBY soon joined them.

Unfazed by the assemblage of students, Torchwick stepped forward.

"Freezerburn!" Ruby ordered.

She, Natsu, and Blake jumped back, leaving Weiss and Yang. The blonde jumped into the air while the heiress created another ice floor. When Yang came down she fired Ember Celica into the ice, creating a dense fog that covered the battlefield.

"Dammit."

Torchwick activated the Paladin's laser sensors and slowly proceeded into the fog. While he looked all around for his young foes they sprinted around in the fog ,narrowly avoiding the stray shots from his arm cannons. When he had eyes on Yang and Blake he fired, but missed. This allowed Ruby and Natsu to attack.

Ruby sliced into the Paladin's chassis with Crescent Rose. When she was out of the way, Natsu fired his cannons where Ruby had sliced. He clucked when he noticed that the blast wasn't as powerful as he hoped.

 _I haven't recovered yet?_

"Checkmate!" Ruby shouted.

Weiss and Blake sprinted ahead and attacked the Paladin with a flurry of nimble, yet precise sword strikes. Weiss stabbed into the gears of the Paladin's main sensor to disable and fell back. When Torchwick tried to stomp on Blake, Weiss summoned a glyph; whisking her teammate back to her side.

"You're starting to annoy me!"

Torchwick fired the shoulder mounted missiles at the girls, but once again Weiss used her glyphs to cover their escape. When she leapt into the air again, Torchwick was able to finally hit her with a blast from his cannons.

While falling Weiss shot a trail of light at Blake's feet creating a yellow glyph that resembled a fast running clock. She landed in her brother's open arms before hitting the grounded.

"I got you." He said.

As more missiles closed in on Blake she began slashing the air at incredible speed, creating crescent blades that easily sliced through the incoming projectiles. Turns out Weiss' glyph had sped up her body's reflexes immensely.

"Ladybug!" Ruby called.

She and Blake raced forward, cutting into opposite sides of the Paladin's legs with their weapons to destabilize it. Passing each other again and again, the pair next leapt into the air. When they came down they aimed for the mech's left arm, successfully cutting it off when they hit the ground.

Natsu and Yang pressed the attack, the blonde leaping onto the Paladin's back while Natsu attacked its legs. Yang repeatedly fired into the back of the mech with Ember Celica, knocking around an angered Torchwick inside the cockpit. He reversed the Paladin and jumped backwards. Natsu was knocked away, but Yang was sent crashing through a few pillars holding up the highway. The pain of being slammed through stone by over and over metal proved too much for the rambunctious blonde and she soon lost her grip. As she fell to the ground, Torchwick punched her through another pillar. Her limp body slid against the ground.

"Yang!" Natsu ran as fast as he could to her side.

"We have to help her!" Blake shouted.

"Don't worry." Ruby assured. "She's fine."

"Looks like it's good night, blondie." Torchwick readied the final blow, but just before he could connect Natsu stopped him…with one hand. "What the…?!" Torchwick jerked with the controls but they wouldn't budge. "It won't move!"

The pinkette looked into the window of the cockpit, his angered eyes surging with fire. Soon after Yang made it back to her feet.

Her hair was now glowing, and her eyes had shifted from purple to a bright red.

"You alright?" Natsu asked.

"Guess I was a bit reckless. He caught me by surprise. Sweet of you to come save me though." She smiled. "My hero."

"You ready to finish this?"

"Let's do it."

Natsu forced down the Paladin's fist to the ground and held it there. Yang leapt from his back and punched where the arm attached to the body of mech. When her fist connected, the Paladin's arm shattered to pieces. Torchwick kicked Yang away, but missed Natsu who was still below him. He grabbed the Paladin by the leg and started to slowly lift it from the ground.

"Let me go!" Torchwick shouted.

"Whoa…" Ruby gasped.

"You told me before that your sister being able to take punishment and use it as energy made her special, right?" Weiss regrouped with her team, a smile on her face as she watched her brother. "Well the strength that comes from wanting to protect those he cares about is what makes **my** brother special."

"Guys!" Natsu's face started to turn red the longer he held up the Paladin. He couldn't keep this up much longer. "Little help?!"

"Right! Ice Flowers!" Ruby ordered.

Weiss summoned three glyphs - ranging from big to small – in front of her team leader. Ruby readied her rifle and fired into the glyphs, creating bullet trails of ice. Upon touching the mech, the impact of the shots formed into spikes of ice that stuck outward and froze its gyros, rendering it immobile.

"Bumblebee!"

With Ruby's call Blake threw Gambol Shroud at Yang, keeping a tight hold onto the ribbon. Once the blonde had a firm grasp on the weapon and the ribbon went taut she began to run in circles. Firing Ember Celica to gain speed, Yang let go of Gambol Shorud after a few revolutions. Using all of that stored momentum, Yang punched the Paladin and knock it out of Natsu's hands. The mech crashed the ground, but it was still intact.

"What will it take to break this thing?!" Blake shouted.

"Guys, I think it's moving again." Yang pointed.

"What do we do?!" Weiss asked Ruby.

"I don't know! We've done all of our moves!" Ruby panicked.

"I got one." Natsu revealed. "Hand me a dust crystal."

"This better not be a repeat of last time." Weiss gave her brother her fire dust crystal.

Natsu bit into and jumped into the air. _I hope this works. I don't have much energy left._ He created two fireballs in his hands and slammed them together. As he soared higher into the air, the combined fireball grew in size.

"What is he doing?" Ruby questioned.

"I don't know." Blake said. "But I can feel the heat from here."

Torchwick yanked on the controls inside the cockpit but they were stuck again.

"Move, you stupid thing!"

When the fireball was as big as the Paladin, Natsu threw it down to the ground, encompassing the mech in a fiery explosion.

"Natsu!" Weiss shouted with worry.

"Get down!" Yang yelled.

Team RWBY hit the deck as the flames scorched the Paladin and broke it apart. When the flames subsided, Natsu stood before his friends with a smile on his face.

"Told you I had one move left."

"Are you out of your mind?!" his sister shouted. "You could have killed us!"

"Um…guys." Ruby pointed to Natsu. Behind him was an open umbrella. When it pulled up a short girl with two-tone pink and brown hair was revealed to be standing in front of a relatively unharmed Torchwick.

Blake immediately recognized her as the girl from the warehouse.

The mysterious girl twirled the umbrella in her hands, a playful smirk on her lips as she looked at the bewildered group of students.

"I just cleaned this thing." Torchwick grumbled, wiping the dust and debris from his suit. He looked around his feet, seeing all of the wreckage from the Paladin ignited in flames. "Gotta hand it to you, pinkie. You really did a number on that robot. Good job."

Natsu gritted his teeth.

"How did he survive that?" Blake questioned.

"Probably because of that girl." Ruby pointed.

"Well, kiddos, once again it's been a blast, but I've got things to do. Grown up stuff. You understand. Neo, if you would be so kind."

The silent girl - now named Neo - bowed to Team RWBY and Natsu.

"You're not getting away!"

Natsu and Yang rushed Torchwick and Neo with their fist's pulled back to strike. When they attacked the Roman and Neo shattered like glass.

"What the?" Natsu blurted out.

Yang heard an engine firing and looked up in time to see Torchwick and Neo escape on a Bullhead.

"Got away again." Natsu grumbled.

"Looks like he got a new henchman." Yang said.

"Yeah. I guess she really made our plans…fall apart?"

Ruby snickered at Weiss' joke. Blake – clearly unamused – simply walked away.

"No." Yang refused. "Just…no."

"But you do it!" Weiss argued.

"There's a time and a place for jokes."

"Was this not one of those times?"

"It was…yours just wasn't very good." Yang followed Blake.

"At least I'm trying. Natsu found it funny. Right?" she turned to her brother.

"Huh? Uh yeah. Sure." He was so busy watching the bullhead take off that he stopped paying attention. When the aircraft was out of the way, he started to follow Team RWBY.

Ruby then asked a question that had been bothering her since the fight on the ground started.

"Where are Sun and Neptune?"

* * *

At the "A Simple Wok" noodle house in the Vale marketplace, Sun and Neptune were finishing their second and third plates of noodles respectively.

"They're probably fine, right?" Neptune absent-mindedly asked about their friends.

Sun shrugged. "Probably." he slurped the broth in his bowl.

* * *

"Well I didn't hear you come up with any jokes." Weiss argued.

"But if I did they would have been a million times better than yours." Yang countered.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

Blake rolled her eyes, but Ruby giggled at her teammates' argument. However, she soon noticed that Natsu was not alongside them. When she turned around she saw that he was a good distance behind them.

"Guys, wait up." Ruby called. She and her team stopped and waited for Natsu to catch up. "Hurry, Natsu! We have to get back before Professor Ozpin realizes we're gone!"

"Yeah, I really don't want another detention with Goodwitch again." Yang said.

"Natsu, stop lollygagging!" his sister yelled.

"Hold on..." he huffed. "I'm coming..."

Blake noticed something was wrong with Natsu. His steps were slow and deliberate, and he slowly swayed from side to side. It was as if it took all of his strength to keep upright. _What's going on?_

Just before Natsu caught up to the girls, he collapsed into a heap on the ground.

"Natsu?!" Weiss gasped in horror. She knelt down and placed his head on her lap. His breathing was shallow and his face was pouring sweat.

"What's wrong with him?!" Yang demanded.

"I don't know!" Weiss frantically answered.

Blake placed her hand on his forehead, but quickly jerked it away when she felt how hot he was. "He's burning up." she reported.

"He must have been hurt in the fight." Ruby quickly suggested. "Yang, can you pick him up?"

"Leave it to me." Yang draped Natsu's arm around her shoulder and lifted him up by the waist of his pants.

"Weiss, use your glyphs to keep his fever down."

"Ok. Ok." Weiss was panicking, but she managed to keep her composure long enough to do as Ruby asked. She created a light blue glyph and placed it Natsu's forehead, the icy mists slowly oozing out to cool down his body.

"Let's go."

Weiss lifted everyone into the air with her glyphs and Team RWBY was soon speeding through the city, Yang keeping a tight grip on Natsu as she laid him on his back.

"Keep him still!" Weiss ordered the blonde. "Make sure he doesn't fall off!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Yang fired back.

"Guys, now is not the time to argue!" Ruby shouted. "We have to look for the hospital!"

Blake looked down at Natsu. His face was twisted in pain, his hand over his heart as he gasped for air. She bit her lip in frustartion.

 _Not again._

"He's not looking good." Yang said.

"Don't say that!" Weiss shouted. "Think positive! He'll be fine!"

"I see the hospital!" Ruby pointed to a building near the center of town. Weiss set down the glyph at the front door.

The girls burst through the emergency room door, Weiss immediately running to the counter.

"Please! You have to help my brother!" she pleaded. "He's sick!"

"Ok. Ok. Just calm down." the man at the counter said. "We need help over here!"

A couple of nurses rushed through the double doors with a gurney in tow.

"Slowly put him on here." One of them said.

Yang nodded and gently placed Natsu on the gurney. When the nurses went back through the doors Team RWBY followed. Further down the hall a doctor joined them.

"What happened here?" he asked.

"I-I don't know!" Weiss panicked. "He just suddenly collapsed! He has a fever and he's sweating a lot! I don't know what to do!"

Realizing her teammate was much too hysterical to speak calmly, Ruby stepped forward.

"Can you help him, doctor?"

"We'll do everything we can." He put on his stethoscope and listened for Natsu's heart. "His pulse is weak. He also looks to have a number of cuts and bruises." When he looked over to Team RWBY he saw they had injuries as well - in some cases bleeding through their clothes. "Just what were you kids doing out this late?"

"We got into an accident on the highway." Ruby quickly answered.

The doctor felt like this was only a half truth, but Ruby's story did match with the news report of a massive commotion on the highway.

"Well in case we need to hurry and get him hooked up to a monitor. I'm also going to need fluids. This young man is severely dehydrated."

"Yes, doctor!" the nurses shouted in unison.

They group entered a nearby room and hooked Natsu to machines.

"He's going to be ok, right?" Ruby asked.

"Of course he is!" Weiss snapped. She was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

"What do we do? Just stand out here?" Yang asked.

"Get those girls out of here!" The doctor yelled. "I need space to work!"

"Yes, doctor."

Team RWBY was immediately stopped from proceeding further into the room by one of the nurses.

"I'm sorry, but you girls will have to stay back until the doctor is finished. If you follow me we'll treat your injuries and-"

"How dare you?!" Weiss shouted. "That is my brother in that room! I will not just stand by and-"

"Weiss, calm down!" Ruby ordered. She was just as worried as she was, but as team leader she had to keep everyone as calm as she could. "Yelling isn't going to make things any better. Let the doctors do their job." When the heiress finally returned to her senses, Ruby turned back to the nurse. "Sorry about that. We're just worried about our friend. "

"I understand. I promise you we will do everything we can to help your friend."

"Thank you." Ruby said.

After having their wounds treated Team RWBY sat in waiting area of the hall. None of them could keep still. The only thing they could think about was what could have happened to Natsu.

"I don't get it. He was fine when we left the school." Yang said.

"Not completely." Blake argued. "He was tired."

"Yeah, but that still shouldn't have lead to this."

"That fight probably took a lot out of him." Ruby surmised.

"Yes, but he didn't do much more than the rest of us. He was fine until..." Blake's eyes opened in realization. "Until he ate the dust."

"You really think the dust did it?" Yang asked.

"Possibly. Even in crystal form it's still highly unstable. He might have had a bad reaction to it."

"But when he ate it before he was fine afterwards." Ruby pointed out.

"Maybe he was just lucky those other times." Yang said sadly.

Weiss remained silent. She heard her teammates conversation, but ignored all of it. No matter what the cause was, the only thing that mattered right now was that her brother was in the emergency room fighting for his life. Weiss clasped her hands tightly.

"Natsu, please...please be ok." she prayed.

The rest of Team RWBY sadly looked upon their teammate. Just then the emergency room doors burst open. The next words that came out of the doctor's mouth brought Team RWBY face to face with their grim reality. A wave of both shock and horror spread through all of them at once as the doctor shouted:

"Code Blue! Code Blue!"

* * *

 **Cliffhangers suck don't they? Anyway not much to say for this chapter, just hoping that the fight with the Paladon lived up to standards.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	20. Recovery

_Left._

Pyrrha slashed against Cardin Winchester's guard, knocking him off-balance.

 _Below._

She deflected Russell Thrush's daggers with her shield and pushed him into Cardin, knocking them both to the ground. Sky and Dove immediately tried to make up for their teammates by rushing Pyrrha from both sides.

She took a step back, allowing the pair to crash into one another before sending them both back in the directions they came with her shield.

 _This is taking too long._

Upon seeing Cardin rise to his feet Pyrrha quickly targeted him. Changing Milo from sword to javelin, she effortlessly kept the leader of Team CRDL on the defensive with her continuous spinning strikes.

Part of the redhead liked how helpless the team of bullies was against her – a sort of punishment for how they treated Jaune last semester – but she kept focus. There was something more important than revenge on her mind right now.

She zoomed past Cardin, her slash dropping him to a knee when he blocked. Cardin turned around, surprised that Pyrrha had suddenly disappeared from sight.

Just then Pyrrha descended from the air. Cardin rolled away just in time to avoid Pyrrha's stab, but she chased after him and stayed on the offensive. When she was close to overwhelming Cardin, Pyrrha was intercepted by Dove. She leapt into the air, using Milo's dust rounds to propel the javelin against Sky's guard and stagger him. When she landed in front of him she swept his leg to temporarily take him out of the fight.

When Pyrrha saw Sky approach she quickly changed Milo to its rifle form and fired. This managed to slow Sky down enough for her to block the bottom of his halberd. She forced him back by quickly switching from Milo's spear and rifle forms repeatedly.

With his line of defense gone, Pyrrha resumed her attack on Cardin. His mace and her spear clashed for supremacy, though Pyrrha clearly had the upper hand in the exchange. Seeing a rare opening, Cardin forced his mace down in a thunderous explosion, but Pyrrha managed to roll out of the blast radius just in time.

When Cardin slammed his mace into Pyrrha's shield she slid back a distance, allowing Sky to try an attack from behind. He swung the blade of his halberd but Pyrrha hopped in the air to dodge. While in mid-air she saw Cardin ready to strike.

Thinking quickly Pyrrha turned her body to block Cardin's attack in mid-air, using the momentum from the force of the blow to spin herself on the ground and trip Sky. When Cardin tried punching her while she was on the ground she flipped backwards to evade. Pyrrha then rolled over his back, launched into the air, and threw her shield; knocking both Cardin and Sky – who had risen behind her – to the ground.

When she landed on the ground she jumped back again, grabbing her shield in mid-air before landing on Sky's back. She looked ahead, sighing internally at the sight of Russell and Dove rising to attack her.

 _Please, just stay down._

Pyrrha dashed and slammed her shield into Russell's abdomen, knocking him into the wall. Her exchange with Dove was a bit longer, but she quickly succeeded in forcing him back with a kick.

Not to be outdone, Cardin leapt into the air and slammed down his mace once more. Again Pyrrha evaded the attack. She crouched a few feet back and changed Milo into rifle form, using one of the curves in her shield to steady her weapon and fire at Team CRDL.

Dove moved out of the way, but Russell appeared to deflect the shots aimed at his leader. For the third time he charged Pyrrha, this time spinning himself into a ball in mid-air before dropkicking her shield.

This managed to finally offset Pyrrha's stance long enough for Dove to get in to position. The pair slashed and pushed against the redhead's guard, forcing her to step back more than a few times. They stepped past her and Cardin resurfaced.

With a roar he swung his mace. Pyrrha rolled under it and fired her rifle again. Cardin deflected her shots by spinning his weapon but when he charged, Pyrrha countered with a jumping knee to his chin.

The advantage once again hers, Pyrrha easily dispatched Cardin and backed him away with well-placed strikes and blocks. Again Russell charged.

 _He is getting rather annoying._

The mohawked member of Team CRDL slashed at Pyrrha with his twin daggers, but his strikes were either blocked or outright evaded by the redhead. Pyrrha spun her javelin's pole around her neck and whirled around, discouraging Russell from getting too close.

When she gained enough distance she threw her shield at him, sending it into the air before knocking him down with her javelin. Holding her weapon behind her neck she fired a shot at a charging Dove, stopping him in his tracks. She forced the point of her javelin forward twice to keep him back. Her shield falling from the air into her hands she pressed the attack, but her opponent jumped backwards to avoid her slash and land back to a revived Cardin.

In his rage Cardin threw back his arm – knocking over Dove with his weapon – and bashed his mace into the ground. A trail of explosions headed towards Pyrrha, but she evaded them all.

 _It's past time I finish this!_

She blitzed Cardin, her fast strikes not giving him any room to counter. Pyrrha launched Cardin into the air and slashed at him some more. When he started falling, Pyrrha propelled herself from her shield and grabbed onto the Cardin. She floated over to his back, pressing Milo against his throat. They flipped around numerous times before hitting the ground, Cardin yelling in pain when Pyrrha slammed his upper back first onto the floor. She then finished him off with a flipping kick that sent him flying back onto his stomach.

She grabbed her shield when it came down, her javelin at the ready should her opponents want to continue. Thankfully the lights illuminating in the amphitheater signaled end of the fight.

 _Finally._ Pyrrha relaxed and stood straight, watching as Professor Goodwitch walked towards her and Cardin.

"And that's the match." The professor announced.

Cardin groaned, his hand firmly on his certainly bruised ribs. "Lucky…shot." he uttered before passing out. His team - also sore form the fight - came to collect him.

"Well done, Ms. Nikos. You should have no problems qualifying for the tournament." Professor Goodwitch praised.

Pyrrha humbly accepted her instructor's words with a gracious smile. "Thank you, Professor."

Glynda looked over her scroll for the next combatants in class.

"I understand that may be a tough act to follow but we have time for one more sparring match. Would anyone like to volunteer?"

She looked to the stadiums seats. A majority of the students in them were from Beacon, but due to the upcoming festival students from the other kingdoms were present in the class as well – like Neptune and Sun for example.

As she surveyed the "volunteers", Professor Goodwitch's eyes fell on a noticeably distracted Blake Belladonna – whose head was currently in a book.

"Miss Belladonna."

Blake instantly shot up and closed her book, her reddened eyes wide in surprise. "Y-yes, ma'am?"

"You've been rather…docile the last few classes. Perhaps you should-"

"I'll do it."

Everyone looked and saw Mercury was the one who had raised his hand. Glynda – slightly surprised at his sudden acceptance – adjusted her glasses.

"Mr. Black. A surprise to see you participating today."

Mercury shrugged. "First time for everything."

"Quite." Glynda looked back at her scroll. "Let's find you an opponent and-"

"You don't have to worry about that." Mercury interrupted. "I've already found one."

"Oh? Who did you have in mind?"

"Her."

Mercury pointed to Pyrrha, who was still on the stadium floor.

"Me?" the redhead questioned.

"Miss Nikos has just finished a match." Professor Goodwitch stated. "Might I recommend choosing another partner?"

"Oh please, there's no need." Pyrrha interjected. "I'd be happy to oblige."

"Cool." Mercury started down the stairs. "Let's get this party started." When he reached the floor, he slowly circled around until he was standing in front of Pyrrha.

The redhead readied herself for battle. In all honesty she didn't want to fight Mercury, or anyone else really. She was hoping to be done with class and quickly head to the hospital in Vale. However, her pride as a warrior prevented her from turning down any challenge. So here she was.

 _I'll try to end this quickly, but can I do that? I don't know much about Mercury's fighting skills save that Natsu told me he uses kicks._

She glanced at the dust cartridges wrapped around his boots.

When Professor Goodwitch gave the signal the fight began.

Mercury started to run, taking four big strides before kicking Pyrrha's shield. She countered by tripping him onto his back with her javelin. Mercury quickly recovered and flipped back to gain some distance.

 _He's fast._ Pyrrha noted.

She rushed Mercury, blocking his kicks with her Milo and pushing him back with her shield. Mercury slid back on his heel.

"Hm." He hummed in amusement upon stopping.

In the stands the other students – including three out of the four members of Team RWBY – eagerly watched the fight.

"Mercury's pretty good." Ruby complimented to Emerald – who sat behind her.

The dark-skinned girl falsely smiled, but as soon as Ruby turned back around she rolled her eyes.

Back on the floor, Mercury jumped into the air and came down with a crushing kick. Even though Pyrrha guarded with her shield, the force of the attack still managed to make her arm tingle. A few more blocked kicks and Pyrrha dove backwards, switching the grip on her sword so that it was pointing down.

Mercury assaulted her guard with a quick succession of flying flutter kicks that slid her back. When Mercury kicked her shield again, Pyrrha let go of her sword. Mercury attempted to attack the other side, but when Pyrrha blocked with only her forearm he noticed something odd.

Her sword was spinning next to her.

Pyrrha grabbed her sword from the air and guarded against Mercury's assault a little longer before his last kick knocked Milo from her hand and into the ground. Pyrrha seemed unaffected, but Mercury's cocky smirk gave away his mood all too clear.

He whipped his leg around for one final attack, but just as his kick approached the redhead's face she held up her hand. Using her semblance, Pyrrha pushed the metal of the rounds around Mercury's boot slightly off course. Making his kick harmlessly fly over her head. Mercury briefly lost control and knelt down, his back facing Pyrrha.

He took a few seconds to process what happened before humming again.

He turned around just as Pyrrha recovered her sword. Leading with her shield, she aimed to end the fight. The wily young man jumped up, using Pyrrha's shield as a springboard to blast himself back with his boots.

Just as Pyrrha charged again, Mercury turned to Professor Goodwitch.

"I forfeit."

The sudden surrender surprised Pyrrha. She slowed down her advance, stopping just a few steps ahead of her opponent.

"You don't want to try?" she asked him, thoroughly confused by his actions.

"There really isn't much of a point." Mercury shrugged. "You're a world-renown fighter. Clearly we're leagues apart."

Pyrrha didn't take too kindly to his flippant tone. Though she did notice something was off about him. He was holding back.

"In that case. Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match…again." Professor Goodwitch announced. She didn't sound too happy either. "Next time you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent." She warned Mercury.

He gave her wave and walked off. "I'll keep that in mind."

The bell rang – startling an exhausted Blake – and the students started filing out of the amphitheater.

"Remember the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first official mission on Monday." Professor Goodwitch reminded. "Excuses will not be tolerated."

Emerald stood outside of the class as Team RWBY passed by. When Mercury arrived he smiled.

"Learning is so much fun."

* * *

When Ruby, Yang, and Blake exited the amphitheater they were approached by Sun.

"Hey, Sun." Ruby greeted.

"What's up, guys. Where's Weiss? I haven't seen her all day."

"She's been at the hospital since this morning." Yang answered.

"Oh. Looking after Natsu, huh?"

"Yep. She can be an ice queen, but when it comes to Natsu she's the warmest person around. I can relate." Yang lovingly rubbed Ruby's head, but her younger sister pushed her away.

"Knock it off. You're embarrassing me." Ruby grumbled with a blush.

Sun saw Blake walking further ahead and ran to catch up to her.

"Hey, Blake!" He called. He touched her shoulder, prompting her to stop and turn around. "You doing ok?"

"I'm fine." She irritably answered.

Sun cleared his throat. Sensing Blake's less than happy mood he tried to make his words as brief and as suave as possible.

"So I hear there's this dance going on this weekend. I mean it sounds pretty lame but I was thinking. You and me. It won't be." He failed.

"What?"

Blake was much too tired to understand – or even really care – about what Sun was alluding to.

"The dance this weekend!" he clarified. "You wanna go or what?"

"I don't have time for a stupid dance." Blake bluntly stated. She turned and walked away. "I thought **you** of all people would understand that."

Ruby watched as Sun's shoulders sunk in shame. She empathized with him. Ever since Torchwick escaped Blake had been throwing herself into her research on the White Fang and their plans. Add on to the fact that Natsu had been hurt and the entirety of Team RWBY was more than a little down.

"We should really talk to her." Yang suggested.

Ruby sighed. "Yeah…I know." she took out her scroll and sent a message. "We'll do it when Weiss gets back."

* * *

"You really don't have to be here you know. You're missing class."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Of course I have to be here." Weiss placed her scroll back in her pocket. "Besides I've already spoken with Professor's Ozpin and Goodwitch and they've allowed me to take as much time as I need."

"This is so embarrassing."

"Embarrassing as it may be for you, I am not leaving your side until you are properly discharged. So you might as well learn to deal with it. Now quit complaining and eat. I didn't spend my time peeling and slicing these for nothing."

Natsu grabbed the plate of sliced apples from Weiss. A noticeable pout on his face, he ate the sliced fruit as he looked out of the window.

All things considered it was a miracle he was even alive. When he arrived at the hospital, his heart had stopped beating for over ten minutes. The doctors tried to resuscitate three times, but nothing changed. It wasn't until they were about to announce his time of death that Natsu suddenly revived.

As expected he was weak and confused; barely able to form a single word when the doctors to examined him. After running a few tests they concluded that he suffered a severe case of fatigue. However that was just a cover story to pacify him. Truth be told they had no idea what was wrong with Natsu. One minute he was dead on their table, and the next he was awake as if nothing had happened.

They gave him drips, dressed and healed his wounds and left him in a room for further monitoring. The doctors said they would keep him under close observation until they finished their tests. That was two days ago.

"At least I get to finally go home tomorrow." Natsu said. "I've missed two whole days of training. I'm not gonna be ready in time for the festival at this rate."

Truth be told Natsu didn't even know himself how he managed to wake up. Everything had gone dark after the battle with Torchwick. All he could remember was this intense burning in the pit of his stomach coupled with a voice that said to him:

 _"Wake up, Natsu. Your life is still a long way from over."_

The voice was loud and frightening, but for some reason Natsu was not afraid. In fact the voice sounded almost, familiar. He had heard it somewhere before.

"You need to take it easy." Weiss suggested to her brother. "You literally **died**. Most people would use that as a sign to take a step back and reconsider things…" she sighed. "But you're not most people. Just try not to burden yourself too much."

"Right." Natsu nodded automatically. He was half listening.

"Also…I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise me you won't eat dust anymore."

"Weiss-"

"Don't." his sister asserted. "The doctors said that you were lucky to put it in your body without exploding in the first place. Your entire body was burning from the inside out. For all we know that's why you collapsed in the first place. Dust is barely stable enough to put in weapons, let alone one's body. So I want you to promise me that you won't do it anymore. You won't put that into your body again." She placed her hand on his. "Please."

Natsu wanted to argue, but the pleading look in his sister's eyes melted that feeling away. When he revived, the first thing he saw was Weiss crying over his body. The tears coming from her silver eyes, they burned. He had seen her cry plenty of times when they were growing up, but never like that. The tears she shed were of agony, sorrow, and rage. Tears that only formed when something – someone – you cared about was ripped from you without warning. Realizing this, he complied.

"Ok. I promise I won't eat dust anymore."

Weiss smiled graciously. "Thank you. Are you done with your food?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Natsu handed the empty plate to his sister, and she promptly threw it in the trash next to the couch.

"Do you need anything else before I go?" Weiss asked.

"No, but where are you going?"

"I'm going back to the school for a bit. Ruby and Yang need me to help them speak with Blake."

"What's wrong with her?"

"The usual. Researching the White Fang and refusing to listen to reason. I swear the two of you are the most stubborn people I've ever met. Are you sure you don't need anything? I can stay if you-"

"Go." Natsu said with grin. "I'll be fine on my own. I need to think about some stuff anyway."

Weiss nodded. She knew the grin her brother wore was a hollow one. He felt bad about making her and the others worry about him.

"I'll be back once I've finished at the school. Please try not to jump out the window and escape again while I'm gone."

"No promises."

Weiss slid open the room door and to her surprise Pyrrha was on the other side.

"Pyrrha? What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on Natsu. Is he here?"

"Yes. He is. Did you bring your team with you?"

The redhead blushed. "N-no. I-it's just me."

"Oh?" A playful grin slowly tugged at the corner of the heiress' mouth. "I see. Well I have a few errands to run, so please, take as much time as you'd like." Weiss stepped past Pyrrha and into the hallway, chuckling to herself along the way.

Pyrrha was more than a little confused. _How odd._

"Hey, Pyrrha. I didn't know you were coming."

The redhead turned towards the smiling pinkette in the hospital bed.

"Y-yes. Sorry if I'm intruding." She bowed in the doorway.

"No worries. You going to come in?"

"Oh! Yes! I'm sorry!" The redhead quickly stepped in the room and slid the door closed. "I brought something." She held up a basket filled with various candies and fruit. There were also balloons tied to the handle of the basket. "It's a gift basket from all of us in Team JNPR."

"Cool. You can put it over there with the other stuff. Sorry I haven't been around to help with Jaune's training."

Natsu pointed to a table across from his bed. On it were a few bouquets of flowers and a stuffed pink dragon. Pyrrha placed her gift basket on the table.

"It's quite alright. We just want you to get better as quickly as you can." Pyrrha looked over the other gifts on the table. "Looks like I'm not your first visitor."

"The flowers are from Ruby, Cinder, and Velvet." Natsu explained.

"Velvet? Do you mean Velvet Scarlatina of Team CFVY? I thought her team was on an away mission."

"They are. Weiss told me she ordered those while on her mission. They were delivered and everything. Even came with a note about how sorry she was that she couldn't visit. Honestly I think Coco put her up to it."

"I see." Pyrrha kept up a good poker face, but inside she found herself a little jealous of her upperclassman. "Where did the stuff dragon come from? I hadn't figured you for the type of person who was into that sort of thing."

"Yang gave me that." Natsu grumbled. "She was trying to be funny."

Pyrrha giggled. "Well it looks like she succeeded."

"Whatever." Natsu pouted.

Pyrrha pulled up a chair and sat next to Natsu's bed. When she looked at the IV drip in his arm she frowned.

"Does it hurt?"

"This?" Natsu lifted the arm with the drip in it. "No. Not really. It's more annoying than anything."

"Ruby told us what happened to you. She said you...died." For some reason Pyrrha had rough time forming the word.

"For a few minutes. No big deal." Natsu waved off.

"It's a very big deal." Pyrrha said with a surprising firmness. "You shouldn't take these types of things lightly."

Natsu grinned. "You sound like Weiss, but yeah. I know. I guess I'm just not too worried about it because I'm ok now."

Pyrrha smiled a bit. "When will you be released?"

"Doc said I should be good to go in the morning."

"So that means you'll be out in time for the dance." Pyrrha's voice had a hopeful tone to it, but Natsu didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah. I guess." he replied plainly.

Pyrrha began to fidget as silence fell between them. "So…do you…have any plans for the dance?"

"I'm not going."

Pyrrha found herself shock at this. "Y-you're not?"

"Nah. I was planning on catching up on the training I missed."

"O-oh. I see." Pyrrha's spirits instantly deflated and she dropped her head. Once again not being able to read the mood, Natsu elaborated on his refusal.

"I've never been huge on stuff like dances. I think they're kind of dumb. I also hate wearing suits. Way too stuffy. Are you going?"

Pyrrha quickly looked up to Natsu to answer him. "M-me? I had planned on it, but now I don't know."

"Why not?"

Pyrrha briefly looked into Natsu's eyes before cutting away. "There was someone I wanted to go with…but I don't think he'll say yes now."

"Really? Well that guy's an idiot. You can do much better than a jerk who can't even give you a straight answer."

Pyrrha couldn't help but chuckle at Natsu's words. He truly was clueless. "Perhaps, but I think I'll wait a little longer. Let's change the subject. Combat class was fairly interesting today."

"Ah crap I forgot we had that class today!" Natsu facepalmed in frustration. Combat class was the only class he actually enjoyed going to – even though he would be regularly scolded by Professor Goodwitch for always breaking something. "What happened?"

"Well first I was unexpectedly challenged by all of Team CRDL…"

* * *

"You what?!"

Despite her bloodshot eyes, Blake was fully awake – and not happy.

When Weiss returned to school she immediately met up with the rest of her team. She, Ruby, and Yang found Blake in their room, once again looking through her notes on the White Fang. It was clearly time for an intervention.

"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby said.

"That's ridiculous." Blake refused.

"We're worried about you." Said Yang. "This investigation is messing with your head."

"You don't sleep, you hardly eat, and if that weren't enough your grades have suffering as well." Weiss listed.

"Who cares about grades?!" Blake retorted. "People's lives are at stake! Did you forget that Natsu is in the hospital right now because of the White Fang?!"

"No I didn't, but clearly you have since you still have yet to visit him."

Blake fell silent. Weiss was right. Blake hadn't seen Natsu since his admittance into the hospital. She was too busy with the investigation. Ironically one of the reasons she was so deep into the investigation was **because** he was in the hospital.

"We're all trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to." Yang said to her partner.

"Because of the info we got from you and Sun, we know that they're operating somewhere out of southeast Vale." Ruby reported.

"And the Schnee Company records singled out Vale as the primary target of Dust robberies for the last few months." Weiss added.

"Don't forget about the missing military tech." Yang said.

"But there are still so many unanswered questions." Blake argued. "We still have no idea just what this is all adding up to."

"And you won't be able to see it if you can barely keep your eyes open." Ruby retorted.

"We just want you to take things easy for one day." Yang pleaded. "It's not too much to ask is it?"

"Besides it will be fun." Weiss reassured with a smile. "Yang and I will make sure of it."

"Yeah! We're planning the whole thing!"

"What?" Blake questioned.

"Team CFVY's away mission is going longer than previously expected." Weiss explained.

"So Weiss and I volunteered to pick up where they left off." Yang said. "We'll make sure you have the perfect night."

"Then as soon as that's done we'll return to our search. Rested and ready."

"So?" Ruby prompted the Faunus.

"I think this is colossal waste of time." Blake stood up from her bed and walked to the door. "I'll be in the library." With that she left.

"Great." Yang sighed in exasperation.

"She can't keep up this pace." Weiss said. "She'll break down."

"We have to find some way to reach her." Ruby said worriedly.

"We'll figure something out, Ruby." Yang reassured.

"I should head back to the hospital." Weiss stood up from bed. "I'm sure Natsu is already complaining about how bad the hospital dinners are."

"They're letting him out tomorrow right?" Ruby asked.

Weiss nodded. "The doctors are finished running they're tests for now. So they're letting him go in the morning."

"They find out what was wrong with him?" Yang asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. They said it was just an extreme case of fatigue."

"Fatigue? He died!"

"I know. Please don't remind me."

"Sorry."

"Well tell him we said hi." Ruby smiled.

"I will." Just as Weiss gathered her things to stay overnight there was a knock at the door. "Who could that be at this hour?"

"Maybe it's Blake." Ruby hoped.

Weiss opened the door to the shocking sight of Jaune Arc holding an acoustic guitar. He strummed a few notes before singing out her name.

"Wei~ss!"

The heiress slammed the door in his face.

"You do realize that you have to go **out** the door to get to the hospital right?" Yang reminded her teammate. "Unless you jump out of the window."

Weiss looked to the open window with a contemplative expression.

"No." Ruby blocked the window. She knew exactly what Weiss was thinking.

Jaune knocked again. "Come on. Open the door. I promise I won't sing."

Against her better judgment, Weiss reopened the door.

"I li~ed!" Jaune sang, strumming more strings.

 _I should have jumped out of the window when I had the chance._

Jaune sang in rhythm with his playing. "Weiss Schnee…would you accompany me…to the da~nce o~n-" Jaune briefly stopped playing when he realized that he forgot what day the dance was on. "Sunda~y!"

"Are you done?" Weiss asked curtly.

"Yes?" Jaune answered sheepishly.

"No." Weiss brushed past him and walked down the hall with her overnight bag in tow.

Jaune's shoulders dropped. Another strike.

"And that is why they call her the Ice Queen." Yang grinned.

* * *

Pyrrha and Jaune's blades clashed in their rooftop training area sometime later that night. Though they were minus one boisterous pinkette, the two managed well enough on their own. Even if neither of their hearts were really into the session.

In a surprising turn of events, Jaune actually managed to push Pyrrha back a few steps. After getting over her initial surprise, the redhead swept her team leader's leg. Dropping him to the ground.

"Well done. Your swordplay has improved immensely."

She giggled as she put her sword away and held out her hand. Jaune accepted her help and was pulled to his feet.

"Couldn't have done it without ya." He complimented as he dusted himself off. "How's Natsu doing? You went to see him right?"

"He's doing much better all things considered. You would have never guessed he was in serious condition just a few days ago."

"Yeah that guy always bounces back." Jaune smiled ruefully. "Kinda makes me jealous."

"Shall we move on to Aura?" Pyrrha suggested.

Jaune slowly rubbed the back of his neck and started to turn around. "I think…I'm gonna pass tonight. I'll just go on a jog or something."

"I know it can be frustrating, but you just have to keep trying. We'll find your Semblance soon."

Jaune was still reluctant. "That's not it. I just…never mind. It's dumb."

"What's bothering you?" Pyrrha inquired. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You know you can tell me."

"It's…Weiss." Jaune sulked.

"What happened?"

"I asked her to the dance and she turned me down. I know. Such a surprise, right?"

"Don't worry so much about it. As the saying goes 'there are other fish in the sea'."

Jaune scoffed. "That's easy for you to say. I bet you and Natsu have already started planning what you're going to wear to the dance."

Pyrrha's face burned red. "N-N-Natsu?!" she stammered. "What makes you think he and I are going together?"

Jaune laughed at her embarrassment. "Come on, Pyrrha, I'm not **that** dumb. Everybody in the school knows you two have the hots for each other. No pun intended."

"Oh." Pyrrha started pushing her index fingers together and looked down. "I didn't know that I was that obvious."

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." Jaune joked. "You two **are** going to the dance right?"

Pyrrha thought back to Natsu's answer in the hospital. Even though she didn't come right out and ask him, she felt his refusal of the dance overall was all the answer she needed.

"I'm…not so sure."

"Well looks like we both got some problems with the Schnee siblings." Jaune chuckled.

"It would seem so." Pyrrha smiled ruefully.

"Forget about me though. I bet there are tons of other guys waiting to ask you to the dance."

"You'd be surprised." Pyrrha chuckled lightly.

"Please. If you don't get a date to the dance, I'll wear a dress."

With that Jaune walked back into the dorm, leaving a conflicted Pyrrha alone with her thoughts.

* * *

"Pyrrha Nikos."

Emerald opened up the picture of the redhead on her scroll. There was also statistical data on her as well under the picture; compiled over the time she had spent at Beacon.

"The invincible girl." Cinder noted. She had been interested in Pyrrha ever since their encounter during the trip to the mountains. She already knew of her exploits before coming to Beacon, but any new data wouldn't hurt.

Cinder sat on her bed across from Emerald and Mercury who sat on the floor – the latter of the two reading a comic book.

"She's smart, but I wouldn't say 'invincible'." Mercury argued.

This interested Cinder. "Go on." She prompted.

"Her semblance is polarity, but you would never know by simply watching." Emerald reported.

Mercury rose from his back. "After she touched my boots she was able to move them around as she pleased, but here's the kicker-"

Emerald rolled her eyes at the pun.

"She only made slight adjustments."

"Just enough to **appear** like she's untouchable." Emerald clarified. "She doesn't make a big show of her powers. So it's easy to throw her opponents off-guard and gain the advantage over them."

"People assume she's fated for victory, when in reality she's taking it into her own hands." Cinder mused. "Interesting. We'll keep a closer eye on her."

"Speaking of people to keep an eye on, what about our 'fearless leader'?" Mercury asked.

"Careful." Emerald joked. "You almost sound you care about him."

"Don't read too much into it. It's just been boring without him to make fun of."

"He was rather energetic when I visited him in the hospital." Cinder said. "He even apologized to me for not being able to train. It was quite cute." She told Emerald and Mercury that she was only going to see Natsu to keep up appearances, but this was a lie. In truth Cinder was...worried about Natsu. It was an odd feeling for her. Part of her hoped she would never feel it again.

"Well destroying one of our mechs wasn't 'cute'." Emerald retorted. "How long are we going to let him run wild like this? Torchwick is starting to get on my nerves with all of his complaining."

"Never mind Roman." Cinder waved off. "He'll bark until we tell him to bite. Natsu and his little friends are still no real threat to us right now. Our plans are proceeding right on schedule."

"Well whatever happens, he isn't a match for you anyway." Mercury said.

"It's not about overpowering the enemy, but about taking away what power they have. As for Natsu, he is simply a tool to strengthen our cause. Which we will reveal…in time."

Mercury groaned as he fell to his back on the floor. "I hate waiting."

"Don't worry, Mercury." Cinder cooed. "We have a very fun weekend ahead of us." She held up her hand, focusing on the needle held between her index finger and thumb.

* * *

The chilly night air flowed in slowly through Natsu's room window. Pyrrha had left a while ago, and Weiss had yet to return. This left Natsu alone with his thoughts for the first time in days. The time in the hospital proved a sobering one for the impulsive pinkette. As he looked over the bandages covering his body, he realized he still had a long way to go in his training.

He thought of Weiss' crying face again - it replayed so many times in his mind that he had lost count. He hated the memory so much, but he knew he had to keep that image burned into his mind if he wanted to get stronger. He clenched his fist, his forearm veins starting to show as his appendage tightened.

"I have to get stronger."

There was a knock at the door.

"Weiss?" Natsu called.

The door slid open, and to Natsu's surprise it was not his sister who had knocked, but Blake.

"H-hello." She meekly greeted.

"Hey." Natsu smiled at his friend. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Blake hesitantly stepped in the room and closed the door. She then pulled up a chair and sat next to Natsu's bed. He was happy to see her. The two hadn't talked since he came to the hospital.

Blake was silent for a while, refusing to look Natsu in the eye. Two minutes into her visit she started to fidget, after five she started impatiently tapping her foot on the tile floor, seven minutes in Natsu couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was painfully obvious to him that Blake was trying to find the right words to say to start a conversation. After ten minutes of silence had passed, Natsu spoke.

"Find anything about the White Fang?"

Blake looked up and saw Natsu's grin. She didn't really know why he asked her that question, but she decided to answer it. If only to get rid of the awkward silence.

"No. Every lead ends up a dead end. I still have no idea why they keep stopped stealing dust and started going after military equipment. It makes no sense. We were never the type of organization to do these kinds of things."

"Yeah, but you left, right? There's probably a whole bunch of stuff that they do now that you don't know about."

"I know, and that's what worries me." Blake looked down again. "I'm sorry, Natsu. It's the White Fang's fault, **my** fault, that you're in here."

Natsu's eyes softened and he reached out to her. "Kitty-"

"Don't!" Blake snapped, slapping his hand away. "How can you just sit there and not be angry about what happened?! How can you be so…so calm! Don't you hate the White Fang for what they did to you?! Don't you hate me?!"

Natsu was taken aback. "Why would I hate you?"

"Because...because I used to be one of them. All of the things they've done, I used to be a part of it. I stole things! I hurt people! I did things that I can never make up for!" She bit her lip in frustration as tears stung the corners of her eyes. "This is the second time you've been hurt because of me, and this time you died! How…how can you still smile? How can you still be my friend?"

Natsu empathized with Blake's dilemma. All of these conflicting emotions welling up inside of her were clearly causing her a lot of pain. Part of her could sympathize with the White Fang's tactics, but she also knew that that the ends didn't justify the means. She knew that in the end their methods would only achieve the opposite of what was intended. It would only make things worse for both human and Faunus. Natsu couldn't really relate to her pain, but he could try to lessen it.

Not knowing what else to do, Natsu reached out and placed his hand on Blake's head. When she looked up, he softly pressed his forehead against hers.

Blake's eyes widened. "Natsu…what are you-"

"I made a promise." He said. "I'll always be your friend. No matter what you did in the past."

Blake sniffed and wiped her eyes free of tears. "What if...what if I did something in the future that makes you question that promise?"

"We'll worry about that later. I don't like thinking that far ahead, but I'd probably still be your friend." He smiled wide.

Blake smiled for the first time in days. "You're an idiot."

Natsu let go of Blake. "I am mad about what happened though. Really mad." he said. He smiled ruefully as he looked down at his fist. "Mostly at myself."

Blake was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I thought I was stronger than this, but I ended up in the hospital because I was a little tired. It's embarrassing. How can I be of any use to you guys if I get taken out so easily?"

"Natsu…"

"Before I even opened my eyes, the first thing I heard was Weiss crying, but she wasn't the only one. You were crying too."

"W-what? I wasn't-"

"I couldn't see it because you were looking away, but I heard you."

Blake gave up. Natsu was right, she was crying that day. She wasn't as loud as Weiss, but the tears flowed nonetheless. They wouldn't stop. It was understandable. Natsu was her first human friend. If it weren't for him she might have still been with the White Fang. Losing him - or any of her friends - because of them would have hurt more than she could bear.

"I don't want anyone to feel that way ever again." Natsu declared. "I promise I'll get stronger. I won't make you guys worry about me again."

The determination in Natsu's eyes calmed Blake down. On her way to the hospital she worried that he had lost some his fire. She was worried that his brush with death had changed him. While she wouldn't blame him if it had, but she was glad she was wrong.

"I'm glad you're ok." Blake said. She looked at the clock on the wall across from Natsu's bed. It was almost midnight. "I should be heading back. I still have lots of research to do." Blake got up to leave, but before she got too far Natsu grabbed hold of her wrist. When she turned to look at him she saw that his eyes were narrowed.

"What is it?" she asked.

Natsu looked upon her lethargic state in the moonlight. Her normally straight hair was disheveled. Normally this would be kind of cute, though in the current situation it was anything but. Her eyes were also blood-shot. She looked like she would fall over if she took another step. "You need to get some rest."

Blake sighed. "Natsu, I'm fine. Besides you should be the last person telling me to rest."

"Please." Natsu said.

Blake's looked into Natsu's now pleading eyes. He was serious about this. Realizing he wasn't going to let this go until she agreed, Blake heaved a heavy sigh.

"Fine. I'll rest…but only for a little while. Then I'm leaving."

Natsu smiled in victory. "Fine by me."

Blake walked over to the couch, laid down, and rested her head on one of the throw pillows. The way she was spread out resembled a cat. Natsu stifled a chuckle.

"Wake me up in ten minutes." Blake said.

"Yes, ma'am." Natsu saluted. "Good night."

Blake grinned. "Good night."

* * *

Weiss slid open Natsu's room door.

"I'm back." She called. "I also brought some food from the convenience store. I know how much you hate the hospital's food so…what's she doing here?"

Weiss finally took notice of a sleeping Blake when she closed the door. She walked to the night stand and put the bags down.

"She came to visit a little while ago." Natsu answered. "She was tired so I told her to rest."

Weiss removed both a salad and a chicken sandwich from the store bag. "I'm surprised she actually listened to you." She walked over to the bed and handed her brother the sandwich.

"Thanks."

Weiss pulled up a chair to his bedside. "How long has she been there?"

"About an hour. She wanted me to wake her up after ten minutes, but I think she needs more time than that."

Weiss grinned. "She'll be quite upset when she wakes up."

"Yeah. Probably, but I can handle it."

Weiss started her meal, but Natsu had yet to unwrap his sandwich.

"Weiss..."

"What is it? Did I get the wrong sandwich? I could have sword I picked the chicken."

"I'm going to get stronger." Natsu declared. "Next time we fight the White Fang, I'll beat all of them. I'll protect all of you guys. You won't have to worry about me again."

Weiss smiled softly. "I am always going to worry about you, big brother. No amount of training is going to change that. I know you'll get stronger, but you're not the only one. Me, Ruby, Blake, and Yang are training as well. As proud members of Team RWBY we can't have someone else doing our work for us. Even if he's family." Weiss said with a playful grin. "Now hurry and eat your food before it gets cold."

Natsu grinned. "Right."

The Schnee siblings ate their meals with smiles on their faces, unaware that Blake was sleeping peacefully - a small smile on her face as well.

* * *

 **New chapter up! A bit long, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Tried to add some scenes with Pyrrha, Blake, and Weiss to set things up with the three different conversations they had. Even added a bit of Velvet and a dash of Cinder for good measure. Hopefully they all flowed well enough.**

 **As usual leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	21. Taking Things Easy

Ruby Rose stared intently at the two pieces of tablecloth laid before her. According to the instructions Weiss had left the pieces of cloth were supposed to be different colors, but they looked exactly the same to Ruby. After nearly thirty minutes of trying to find the seemingly non-existent differences she gave up.

"Why do I have to do this anyway?" she groaned, slumping down in her chair.

"Don't be so negative, sis. Weiss will be back in a little while."

Yang walked by carrying a rather large speaker. When she set it down on the ground, the loud impact made both her sister and the table she was sitting at hop a couple of centimeters in the air.

Ruby let out a disgruntled sigh. The preparations for the annual Beacon academy dance were in their final stretch So far the streamers, the balloons, and the sound stage had been set up. All that remained were the lighting and table decorations. Yang was in charge of the former, while the latter had been thrust upon a very reluctant Ruby.

Normally Weiss would be the one in charge of the décor – in fact she insisted on it – but right now here priorities were elsewhere. Namely with her brother.

"I don't see what the big deal is. If Natsu doesn't want to go, she shouldn't force him." Ruby grumbled. While she did believed in her own words, she mostly didn't want Natsu to go because he felt the same way she did about the dance. Namely that it was a waste of time.

"Yeah, but she just wants him to have a little fun for a change." Yang argued. "As soon as he was let out of the hospital he went to go train with his team. Can't say I blame him, but he should slow down a bit. Same thing goes for Blake."

Ruby sank in her seat and frowned. She had almost forgot that Blake still refused to go to the dance, or rather she was trying not to think about it.

Yang smiled. "Don't worry too much. We just have to make sure that this dance is so good that both of them will be tearing down the door to get in."

Ruby's growing frown showed that she didn't share in her sister's confidence. She looked back at the list of instructions.

"Have you picked out a dress yet?"

Ruby scoffed. "No. What's the point if Blake and Natsu aren't going?"

"I told you not to worry about that didn't I? They'll come."

"If you say so." Ruby squinted her eyes at the list. "What's a 'doily'?"

"What?!" Yang snatched the paper from her sister and looked over it. "Argh! I told Weiss no doilies!"

"She left a note about that." Ruby pointed out.

Yang looked further down the list and saw an asterisk at the bottom of the paper. The sentence next to it read: "If Yang has a problem with my doilies then tell her she will not have her fog machines."

Yang crumpled up the paper in anger and threw it back on the table.

"Hey! I need that!" Ruby shouted as she tried to un-crumple the list.

"She is so unfair!"

The door opened and in walked Sun and Neptune.

"Your dance is going to have fog machines?" the bluenette asked, having overheard Yang's outburst.

"Looks like it." Ruby said.

"Cool."

"You girls all excited for dress up?" Sun asked with a teasing smirk.

"As if." Ruby scoffed.

"Says you." Her sister argued. "I'll be turning heads tomorrow night."

"Don't you mean 'Natsu's' head?" Ruby countered.

Yang answered with a playful grin. "If it he looks too I can't stop him. What about you guys? What are you wearing?"

Sun appeared offended by the question. "This." He presented his current/normal outfit. Neptune quickly stepped in front of him.

"Ignore him. For he knows not what he says."

"Hey I may **live** in Mistral but I **grew up** in Vacuo." Sun defended. "Not exactly a fancy dress kind of place."

"We noticed." Yang deadpanned. Normally she wouldn't mind getting an up close and personal view of a man's abs, but she had seen Sun's so much - virtually every day - that the novelty of his body had long since worn off.

"Where's Weiss?" Sun asked. "I thought she'd be all over this dance stuff."

"She's busy trying to convince Natsu to come to the dance." Ruby answered.

"Oh…so what about Blake? What does she think of all this? She still being all…'Blakey'?"

"Yeah." Ruby sighed. "I've tried everything but I don't know if anything will change her mind."

"Just leave it to me." Yang declared. "She'll be at the dance tomorrow. Count on it." With that she walked out of the ballroom.

* * *

The winds were unusually high in the forest of Forever Fall. This was not due to anything natural. In fact the cause of these rather violent winds was Mercury Black.

While on his back, the cocky young man continually spun himself around with his legs in the air. Shooting dust rounds from his boots with every rotation, he created a vortex that swirled around both him and Emerald.

Natsu stood his ground away from the swirling winds.

Today was a battle day.

Since Team CMSN's training sessions began their time had been divided between "battle" days and "reflection" days. Battle days were just as described, Natsu would spar with Emerald and Mercury. Reflection days were a little more...initimate. They usually consisted of Natsu and Cinder spending one on one time together where she taught the pinkette how to control his inner fire.

This usually consisted of him thinking about the previous day, mediation, and Natsu learning Cinder's philosophy on the element of fire. As she explained to him, fire was a "natural element that was a catalyst for both death and rebirth". She described it as a "necessary evil" that was fierce when let go unchecked, but could be just as dangerous when controlled as well. Natsu didn't have the first clue what she meant - to him fire was just something to destroy stuff - but he did find a certain truth in her words. She wasn't that bad of a teacher.

When the dust rounds Mercury conjured started to fly out of the vortex, Natsu darted out of the way. Narrowly avoiding the blasts he dashed forward, but was quickly cut off by Emerald. She slashed at him with her sickles, but Natsu managed to block with Black Summer before they could cut him. He smirked at his teammate.

"You're not playing around today."

Emerald returned his smirk with her own. "I told you. Next time I was going to shoot."

Natsu's eyes widened when his nose twitched. _No scent!_

Emerald faded and Natsu heard the cocking of gun behind him. He moved his head to the left, watching as a bullet whizzed by his head. When he whipped around he saw Emerald's true body.

"I can't believe I fell for that again." Natsu groaned.

As Cinder watched Natsu battle her subordinates from atop the hill, she found herself slightly amazed. Despite only being released from the hospital a few hours ago, Natsu was performing at the same level he had before he entered. In fact, he was performing better.

Mercury and Emerald had extensive experience battling as a team due to their service under Cinder, but even so Natsu managed to keep them on their toes for a majority of the fight. In some cases he even managed to outmaneuver them.

"Amazing." Cinder uttered.

"Excuse me."

Cinder looked over her shoulder to the tree behind her. Standing there – somewhat impatiently – was Weiss.

"Good morning, Weiss." Cinder greeted with a smile.

"Good morning."

The Schnee heiress stood next to Cinder and looked down the hill at the fight.

"I assume you are here to see Natsu?" Cinder asked.

"I am. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. He is your brother. Though I can't imagine he would be pleased with you spying on our team's 'secret' training."

"If he has an issue with me being here he can tell me himself."

Cinder chuckled lightly. "Of course."

Weiss had been noticeably distrustful of Cinder for quite a while. The way she asked about Natsu's power months ago rubbed the over-protective heiress the wrong way. In fact all of his teammates made her uneasy. They was too much she didn't know about them. Showing up whenever they wanted with little to no explanation as to where they were or what they were doing. It was clear to the snow-haired student that they were very suspicious individuals.

Weiss had yet to share these concerns with her team. For some reason they liked Team CMSN. Yang got along well enough with Emerald and Mercury, and Cinder's conversations with Ruby usually carried an air of friendliness about them. Blake really didn't think much of them, but then again that was Blake with most everyone.

 _Perhaps I'm worrying._ Weiss thought as she stared at Cinder. _If Natsu trusts them that should be good enough, but I still can't help this feeling of unease in my stomach._

"Oh." Cinder said. "It looks like Natsu may be in a bit of trouble."

Weiss looked back down the hill and her eyes widened. Natsu was being held by Emerald, her kusarigama blade against his neck - with its chain holding his arm behind his back - as Mercury closed in for the finishing blow.

Weiss started to move, but Cinder held out her arm to stop her.

"What are you doing?" Weiss demanded. "That is more than than enough! They could kill him!"

"No. They won't. Just stay back."

Weiss wasn't having it. "Unhand me, you-"When she grabbed Cinder's arm, the dark haired young woman glared at her.

"I said stay back." Her right eye started to flash.

Weiss' spine stiffened. Cinder's gaze had paralyzed her completely. Unable to speak, she slowly backed away. When she was a couple of paces back, Cinder's eyes stopped glowing and she smiled.

"Thank you. Now just watch and see what happens."

Weiss looked hesitantly over the hill to the fight.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you." Emerald smirked. "My hand might slip."

Natsu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He started to build energy in his body, which in turn caused his body temperature to rise. When he was hot enough, he grabbed Emerald's forearm.

"Agh!" the burning from his touch shot through her arm and she let him go.

The pinkette smirked. "Too hot for ya?"

"You-"Emerald dashed at him with her sickles at the ready. Mercury did the same from the opposite end of the battlefield.

Natsu sidestepped Emerald and she ran past him. She quickly turned around and extended her sickles back into kusarigama. The chained blades cut towards Natsu just as Mercury ran past her.

The gray-topped young man kicked at Natsu, but the pinkette swept his leg. Mercury's leg lifted in the air when he fell, the chains of Emerald's weapons wrapping around his ankle, effectively snatching them from her hands. Finally Natsu threw his fist back, hitting the real Emerald – who was once again behind him – in the face and knocking her down.

"Impressive." Cinder praised.

Even Weiss couldn't help but be amazed at her brother's skill. He had gotten much better.

"That's enough for today!"

"What?!" Natsu whined when he watched Cinder walk down the hill. "Why? I barely broke a sweat. I can keep going."

"Yeah." Emerald said roughly as she Mercury stood up. "So can we."

"Let's start over." Mercury insisted, his eyes narrowed in anger.

"No." Cinder refused. Her commanding tone shook Emerald and Mercury to their senses. "Natsu was just released from the hospital. It won't do him any good if he goes back before one day has passed now will it?"

"No." Mercury and Emerald muttered.

"I'm fine, Cinder." Natsu insisted. "You don't have to baby me."

"I'm not. I am just concerned about your well-being. We won't be able to function well in the tournament as a team if our leader is out of commission before it starts."

Natsu couldn't argue with this logic. He felt fine, but who knows if what happened to his body after the battle with Torchwick had any lingering side-effects. He reluctantly took Cinder's advice.

"Alright."

"Thank you for indulging me. Also you have a visitor." Cinder pointed to the top of the hill.

"Visitor?" Natsu looked to where Cinder pointed and spotted his sister standing at the top of the hill. "Weiss? What are you doing here?" Natsu ran up to her, his team watching him leave.

"I could have taken him if you let me go all out." Mercury said.

"Save your pride, Mercury." Cinder said. "Even at your best he would still have bested you. He was simply better than you." She looked to Emerald. "Both of you."

The mint haired girl bowed her head in shame. "Forgive me, Cinder."

"There's nothing to forgive. This is a lesson. No matter how powerful you think you are…there is always someone better. The real question you should be asking is: how much better is he than you are?' Now come. It's time we begin our preparations for the dance."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright."

* * *

"What is this I'm hearing about you not attending the dance?" Weiss interrogated.

Natsu sighed. "Not you too." If he had a dollar for every time his sister used that accusatory glare, he wouldn't even need the Schnee fortune.

"Yes 'me too'. Why aren't you going?"

"You I know hate that kind of stuff. They're so boring and the suits are all tight and choke my neck. They'll be another one next year right? I'll just go to that."

Weiss sighed. "That's not the point, Natsu. Right now this is a chance for us to finally unwind from all the craziness that's been going on lately."

"I was doing that just fine down there." he pointed to the bottom of the hill.

"I don't think doing the thing that put you in the hospital in the first place counts as 'unwinding'."

"It is to me." Natsu argued. "Wait a minute, who told you I wasn't going to the dance anyway?"

"Pyrrha. I caught up with her on my way back to the hospital the other day. She told me about the conversation you two shared. Why did you reject her?"

Natsu was confused. "Reject her? No I didn't. She told me she didn't even know if she was going to the dance."

Weiss shook her head. "How can you be so dense?"

This confused Natsu even more.

"She said she 'didn't know' because she wants to go with you!"

Natsu's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Pyrrha **likes** you, Natsu." Weiss revealed. "She has for a long time."

"What? No she doesn't." Natsu denied.

"Have you honestly not noticed the way she looks at you or the way she smiles when the two of you speak to each other? I'm surprised you didn't figure it out much sooner. You like her too don't you?"

Natsu was caught off-guard. He didn't know how to answer his sister. It was true he felt somewhat happier when he was around Pyrrha. He also enjoyed talking to her, but he wasn't sure if this meant that he had any special feelings for her. Though he did realize he thought of her even when she wasn't around. It was a new feeling for him.

"I…um…I don't know." he finally answered.

"'ll have Emily fit a tuxedo for you when you start to figure it out, but you'd better not take too long. She might be gone by then."

Weiss started to walk off, but stopped before passing the tree. "One more thing. Be careful around that Cinder girl. I…get a bad feeling from her."

As Natsu watched his sister leave he thought about her final words.

 _Watch out for Cinder? Why?_

When he looked down the hill he noticed that his team was gone.

* * *

Blake's eyes feverishly scanned over the reports on her computer screen. She had been in library since daybreak – almost immediately arriving after leaving the hospital. Part of her was angry that Natsu had let her sleep for so long, but another part of her was grateful. Despite her bravado Blake knew she needed some form of rest. Unfortunately those few hours Natsu granted her weren't enough. She was still running on fumes.

Her fingers starting to go numb from typing, Blake found a strange relief in the form of a small red light shining on her screen. Realizing that someone was using a laser pointer to get her attention, Blake turned around but found wvery other student in the library working on their own assignments, and were paying her little to no attention.

Confused and agitated, Blake returned to her work. The light returned as soon as she started typing again. It started bouncing around the screen, quickly turning the Faunus' curiosity to anger. Blake slammed her hands on the table and stood up from her chair. When she saw the light on the ground she started to follow it.

Being a cat-type Faunus, Blake was completely aware of her animal sides easy to distract nature, but this didn't stop her quest to find the owner of the light. In fact it only made her more determined – and angry.

The light cut around a pillar and Blake finally came face to face with the culprit, Yang Xiao Long.

"Hello~!" The blonde sang. Clearly she wanted to be found out.

Blake was confused once again. "What are you-"

"We need to talk." Yang grabbed Blake's wrist and whisked her out of the library.

* * *

Lie Ren had seen a lot of odd things in his young life: Grimm, a boy with pink hair that could light himself on fire, Nora, but all of those paled in comparison to the situation he found himself in right now.

After taking his nightly shower, Ren was suddenly approached by Jaune. With only the very vague sentence of "we need to talk." The leader of Team JNPR yanked him into their team's room before he could even get dressed.

Now with nothing but a towel covering his lower body, Ren awkwardly sat next to a despondent Jaune. To make matters even more uncomfortable, Nora sat on the bed across from them with headphones on to distract her from their conversation – this was also Jaune's doing.

 _Why is it always me?_ He lamented.

"I'm just going to come right out and say it." he heard Jaune say to him. "You are one of my best friends. These past few months I feel like you and I have really bonded. Sure you don't say much, and to be honest I don't know all that much about you, but that doesn't change the fact that I think of you as the brother I never had!"

"And I you." Ren responded.

"That's why I wanted to get your thoughts on…girls."

"Girls?" Ren repeated Jaune's words half out of curiosity and half just so there was no dead air between them. He glanced over to his clothes hanging on the closet door next to the bed. So close but yet so far. Slowly he reached for them, praying that he still could retain some of his dignity when this was over.

"Yeah…girls." Jaune started to fumble over his words. "I…um…girls. Well…uh…I want to know…how did you and Nora…you know..."

Ren pulled back his hand. "What?"

The boys heard the girl in question clearing her throat and looked her way. Her headphones were around her neck now and she had a very noticeable blush on her cheeks.

"Actually…Ren and I aren't **TOGETHER** together." She clarified with a nervous laugh.

"Nora, I said headphones on!" Jaune ordered.

"Eep!" Nora swiftly put the headphones back on her ears.

"Jaune, what is this really about?" Ren finally asked.

Jaune sighed. The jig was up. "It's Weiss. I'm completely crazy for her, but she won't even give me the time of day. She's cold, but she's incredible too." He started to smile. "She's smart, graceful, and super talented. I mean have you heard her sing? She's amazing. I just wish she'd take me a little more seriously, you know? I just want to tell her how I feel without messing it up."

"Then do it."

Just then Pyrrha walked into the room.

"Tell her how exactly you feel." She said to Jaune. "Everything you just said now. No over the top schemes. No pick-up lines. Just...be honest."

Jaune was still hesitant. "But what if-"

"Jaune." She smiled. "You can't get it wrong if it's the truth."

After a few seconds, Jaune smiled with renewed confidence. "You're right. Thanks, Pyrrha. Good talk, Ren." Jaune happily walked out of the room, Ren awkwardly waving him goodbye.

Once Jaune departed, Pyrrha's smile started to fade to a frown and she shuffled over to the desk in the corner. It felt good to help her friend, but her words were more for her own benefit than his. She still had yet to tell Natsu how she felt. In all honesty she was afraid to.

What if he turned her down? She had never dealt with rejection before. It was a scary thought. Would she feel the same feelings of doubt that Jaune did about Weiss? There was also the matter of her not fully knowing how Natsu felt about her either. There were times where she felt they were in sync, but the next instant it all would fade away and be left to chance. It was frustrating.

 _Is this how it feels to have feelings for someone?_

Nora noticed her friend's plight and shook her head.

"Practice what you preach, Pyrrha."

* * *

"If you're going to tell me to stop, you might as well save your breath."

"I don't want you to stop. I'm just saying you should slow down."

Yang brought a very unwilling Blake to an empty stadium classroom on the other side of campus. Sitting patiently on the desk with her legs crossed, Yang watched Blake impatiently pace back and forth.

"We don't have the luxury to slow down." Blake reiterated through clenched teeth.

Yang shook her head. "Not a luxury. A necessity."

"The 'necessity' is stopping Torchwick."

"And we will, but first sit down and let me tell you a story." Yang patted the empty space in front of her.

Blake rolled her eyes and acquiecsed to the blonde's request. "Fine."

Yang gave her an appreciative smile and began. "Ruby and I grew up in Patch, an island not far off the coast of Vale. Our parents were Huntsmen. Our dad taught at Signal, while our mom took on missions around the kingdom. Her name was Summer Rose." Yang smiled softly at the thought of her. "She was like Super Mom. Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters. We didn't have much, but we were happy enough. Then one day, Mom went on a mission…and never came back."

Blake's hardened stare started to soften.

"Things got tough after that. Ruby took it hard, but I still don't think she was old enough to really get what was going on at the time. Dad on the other hand, he just…shut down for a while. Didn't take long for me to know why. Turns out Summer wasn't the first love he'd lost...that was **my** mom."

Blake's widened eyes gave away her shock. She had no idea that Yang and Ruby were only half-sisters.

"He didn't tell me everything, but I found out that they used to be on a team with Summer and our uncle Qrow. She left me with him not long after I was born. No one's seen her since."

"Why did she leave?" Blake knew that her question was a bit insensitive, but it was the only thing she could say at the moment. Yang didn't seem offended by it.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Yang turned to the chalkboard and hopped from the desk. "I don't know why she left, but I was hell-bent on finding out. After a while it was the only thing I thought about. I would ask anyone who would listen to tell me about her."

Yang grabbed a piece of chalk and started to draw on the board. She had no picture in particular in her mind, she was just guiding her hand however.

"One day I found something that I thought would lead me to her, or least a reason why she left. When Dad left for work I loaded Ruby into a wagon and followed the trail. I don't know how long or how far I walked. I had cuts and bruises. My body was aching all over, but I didn't care. I was determined to find answers.

The trail ended at a worn down cabin in the middle of some dark woods. By the time we got there I could barely stand, but I was so sure that I'd finally found what I was searching for that the pain didn't matter. That's when I saw them."

Yang closed her eyes and thought back to that day.

"Those burning red eyes, the horrible grunts of beasts hungry for their next meal. That was the first time I ever saw Grimm. We were completely out of our league. A toddler sleeping in the back of a wagon and a stupid girl too exhausted to call for help. We might as well have been gift wrapped for them. When they lunged at us I was sure we were dead, but luckily Uncle Qrow was there to save us. If it weren't for him, we would have died that night. And it would have been all my fault."

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Blake sympathized. "I understand what you're trying to say. I really do, but this is different. I'm not a child, and this more than just a search for answers, this is-"

"I told you. I don't want you to stop." Yang repeated with a bit more force. "I haven't. Even now I still want to know what happened to my mother. I want to know why she left me, but I won't let those questions **control** me. We'll find what we're looking for, Blake, but if we break ourselves down in the process then what's the point?"

"You don't understand!" Blake snapped. "I'm the only one that can do this!"

"No! You don't understand!" Yang whipped around, her purple eyes now red. "If Torchwick walked through that door right now what would you do?!"

"I'd fight him!" Blake argued.

"And you'd lose!" Yang shoved Blake against the desk.

"I'd stop him!" Blake attempted to shove Yang back, but she was much too weak from lack of food and sleep.

"You can't even stop me!" Yang pushed Blake again. When Blake got up a second time, Yang hugged her close. "Please. You don't have to stop. Just get some rest." She let Blake go. "Not just for you, but for the people you care about."

Yang left Blake and starting walking up the stairs towards the door, but stopped when she was halfway up. She then looked over her shoulder to her friend.

"If you decide to come out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance." Yang winked before finally walking out of the room.

Blake sighed in contentment and walked out of the door on the ground floor. Upon entering the hallway, she was surprised to see Natsu walking by.

"Hey, Blake, what's up? You look exhausted." He greeted. Judging by his demeanor Blake assumed that he didn't hear anything that she and Yang talked about.

Blake felt herself grin. "I am. Really tired. I think I'm going to go to my room and get some rest."

Natsu smiled. Blake looked like she was finally starting to see reason. "Well I was heading back that way. Want me to come with you?"

Blake nodded, her grin widening to a soft smile. "Yes. I'd appreciate that."

The two started towards the dorms.

"So…you going to the dance?" Natsu asked.

"I'm not sure."

Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Yeah I'm still on the fence too."

"I heard Pyrrha asked you, and you turned her down."

"That's not what happened." Natsu defended. "Besides she didn't ask me…at least not directly." he blushed.

Blake chuckled.

"I think you should go." Natsu said. "You could use the break."

"Same can be said for you." the Faunus countered.

"I guess you're right. So how about we both go?" He compromised with a wide smile. "It might end up being pretty fun."

Blake nodded in agreement, her smile slowly growing as well. "Maybe."

* * *

Jaune walked through the school courtyard with a white tulip in his hand, a bright smile on his face, and a confident spring in his step. After about an hour or so of mental preparation, he finally found the right words to ask Weiss to the dance.

 _Alright, Jaune. Just be cool. Be yourself…or be cool. Yeah that option works better. It's just like Pyrrha said, just say all the stuff you said before. No schemes. No pick-up lines just-_

"Neptune!"

When Jaune heard Weiss' soft voice he quickly darted behind the nearest building. He peeked around the corner, watching as the object of his affection strolled up to the blue-haired boy from Mistral.

"What are they talking about?" Jaune stuck his head out further so he could hear the pair's conversation.

"Hey, what's up?" Neptune asked Weiss.

"I know this is a tad unorthodox…" She started to blush, twisting the point of her shoe into the ground. "But I was wondering…would you like to accompany me to the dance tomorrow?"

Those ten words cut through Jaune's heart like the claws of a Beowolf. In the back of his mind he felt that this would happen, but he hoped that he would be wrong for once.

Dejected and forlorn, Jaune dropped his tulip on the ground and walked away into the night with his head down.

* * *

The next day came and went fairly quickly. Once night fell, the long awaited dance had gotten underway. Yang stood at the check in podium in front of the door clad in a yellow, lace halter dress. She filled out the dress rather nicely, and just as she foretold she turned many a head of the male student body - even some of the females glanced her way.

The door opened and in walked a very uncomfortable Ruby. Her dress - a short deep red number topped with a black mesh that covered her upper chest area and spilt the red part of the dress down to the black sash around her waist - was little less outstanding than her elder sister's but it was still too much for the bubbly young girl to bear.

She could barely keep upright as she awkwardly stumbled to the podium in her black pumps.

"Can we ask Weiss how she fights in these things?" she asked her sister.

Yang couldn't help but giggle at her sister's plight.

* * *

Just outside the ballroom, Sun Wukong was still fidgeting around with his "formal" wear - a black version of his normal shirt and a gray tie. Neptune tried his hardest to get his friend to wear something more presentable, but Sun wasn't having it. This was as high maintenance as he would go…and even this he felt was pushing it.

He stopped walking to mess with his tie for the umpteenth time. "Stupid…dumb…neck trap!"

"I knew you'd look better in a tie."

Sun looked over his shoulder, and found himself captivated by the image of Blake Belladonna. She sported a dark purple dress with a slit up her left leg, and black mesh covering both her shoulders and the small opening just above her breasts. The faunus boy was speechless.

Blake took note of his silence as a compliment. She walked over to him, hooked his arm, and started walking to the ballroom.

"So does this mean we're going…together?" Sun asked.

Blake grinned. "Technically, but my first dance is already spoken for."

* * *

The dance was in full swing. All over couples were dancing to the beat of the band's soothing songs. This included Yang and Blake. As promised the blonde saved her friend a dance if she attended. Once finished the two separated and bowed, thanking the other for the dance. Yang then stepped aside, allowing Sun to finally dance with his date, before joining Ruby and Weiss near the punch bowl. When they heard Blake's joyous laughter, they knew they had made the right decision.

"Told you she'd come." Yang said to the pair with a cocky grin.

"Mission accomplished." Weiss stated.

"Wait. Where's Natsu?" Ruby asked.

Weiss' eyes went wide in shock. "You mean he's not here?"

"Nope. I haven't seen him."

"Me either." Yang spoke up.

"I can't believe him!" Weiss fumed. She stormed off, muttering obscenities under her breath about her brother's absence.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked her sister.

Yang shrugged. "I'm sure Natsu'll show up eventually. For now just have fun." She walked off, leaving her little sister alone, confused, and slightly unnerved.

"Does that mean I can change back into my hood now?!" Ruby shouted, but Yang was already out of earshot. Disgruntled the leader of Team RWBY faced the dancefloor and looked down at her shoes. "Stupid lady stilts."

"Not enjoying yourself?"

Professor Ozpin appeared next to Ruby.

"Oh. No. it's not that." The girl nervously answered. "Everything's fine. I'm just not the fancy-pancy dancey type."

"You can't spend your entire life on the battlefield, Ms. Rose. No matter how much you may want to."

Ruby crossed her arms in frustration. "Yeah. I've been hearing that a lot lately."

The Headmaster directed the young girl's eyes back to the couples on the floor.

"When you truly think about it, dancing and fighting are not all that different. Both require two partners interlocked with each other." He snorted. "Though one wrong move on the dancefloor only leads to a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle." Ruby meekly added, once again looking down at her shoes.

"It's not every day that friends are allowed to come together like this." Professor Ozpin said. "Time has a way of testing our bonds, but nights like these have a hand in keeping them stronger than ever."

Ruby looked around the ballroom at her friends. Sun and Blake were still dancing, Yang returned to greeting people at the door, and even Weiss managed to hold her anger long enough to have a conversation with someone.

"Nights like these are one's we will never forget." He finished.

Ruby smiled at this. Professor Ozpin's words proved true to an extent. Everyone was enjoying themselves and in the end that was all that really mattered to her. Ruby heard the locks of the door clicking and watched as Emerald and Mercury entered.

Emerald wore a dark green sleeveless dress, while Mercury donned a black tuxedo with gold trim and a gold bowtie.

"You guys are just in time." Yang said with a smile.

Mercury smirked. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

* * *

Natsu ran as fast as he could through the streets of Vale. His open tuxedo jacket flapping in the wind, the pinkette made a mad dash for the airship that would take him to Beacon.

"I'm so late! Weiss is going to kill me!"

New chapter is up! On a sidenote I just watched all of Vol. 3 for the first time a couple of days ago, and wow. Lots of game-changing stuff happening in that volume. While watching I was forming ideas at the same time. So even though we're in Vol. 2 right now (closing in on the end) I already have all of Volume 3 plotted. Hooray for foresight.

* * *

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	22. Suspicions

Ruby guarded the punch bowl like a hawk as she looked out to the people enjoying the dance. Everyone was having fun in some form or fashion. Some students danced while others were content with just standing around and talking. Even some of the teachers were involved in the festivities.

Professors Oobleck and Port discussed something Ruby could only guess was Grimm related due to the latter's uproarious laughter. Even Professor Goodwitch wasn't completely immune to the atmosphere – having become a somewhat reluctant dance partner for General Ironwood.

Though glad that everyone was having a good time, Ruby couldn't quite bring herself to share in the fun. A dance like this just wasn't her scene. As she perfected the art of being a wallflower, Jaune Arc slid next to her.

"I see you're hiding at the punch bowl too." He said.

"Yep." Ruby answered.

Apparently they shared the semblance of invisibility.

"To the socially awkward."

Ruby giggled and clinked her glass against Jaune's. It felt good to know someone shared her struggle.

"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss." Ruby apologized.

Jaune shrugged. "It's fine. Neptune's pretty…cool. Makes sense that she went with him."

This confused Ruby. "What are you talking about?"

Jaune scoffed. "Come on. I mean not many people can pull off **blue** hair."

"Weiss came to the dance by herself."

Jaune nearly choked on his punch.

"W-what?!"

Jaune saw Weiss trying in vain to straighten one of the vase tulips that had drooped.

"She said that she was too busy to worry about boys." Ruby explained. "That and I'm pretty sure she's still mad that Natsu didn't show up."

"Natsu's not here either?"

"Nope."

When Jaune saw Neptune joking around with Blake and Sun his blood started to boil.

"Hold. My. Punch."

He handed his drink to Ruby and made a beeline for the playboy bluenette. He was about halfway to his destination when a despondent Pyrrha crossed his path. When he saw her go up the stairs towards the balcony, he knew he had a decision to make.

Would he confront Neptune for turning down Weiss or would he attempt to console his friend and teammate?

Being the person he was, Jaune chose the latter and followed after the redhead. When he reached the balcony, Jaune saw Pyrrha looking out to starry sky. Her long red dress flowed in the night air, but her slumped shoulders indicated she was feeling less than elegant. He approached her carefully.

"Hey, Pyrrha."

She turned to face him, smiling as best she could. "Hello, Jaune."

"I heard Natsu didn't show. Sorry about that."

"There's no need to apologize. I arrived fairly late myself so it's not like I was expecting him to wait for me."

Jaune could tell that she was lying, but he chose not to address it.

"Well…you look nice." he complimented.

"Thank you. You look good as well."

"Thanks."

The two stood in silence for a little while.

"I'm sure Natsu is on his way." Jaune reassured. "He probably just overslept or-"

"Jaune, it's ok." Pyrrha smiled weakly. "You don't have to make excuses for him."

"I'm not. I'm trying to make one for you."

There was a nother chilling silence before Pyrrha spoke again.

"I've been fortunate enough to have been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities throughout my life. For as long as I can remember I've been showered with both love and praise, but when you're placed on such a high pedestal you soon find yourself separated by those that put you there.

Everyone just **assumes** that I am too good for them. That I am on a level that they can simply not attain. It makes it impossible to form any sort of meaningful connection with people…but Natsu wasn't like that. He was... **is** different. Do you know what the first words he ever said to me were?"

"…Where's the cafeteria?" Jaune joked.

Pyrrha giggled. "No. The first thing Natsu ever said to me was that he was going to 'kick my butt'."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at this. "That's not the line I would open with."

"Yes it was a bit unorthodox, but at the same time I found it…refreshing. No one had ever been so bold with me before. It caught me completely off-guard. He even challenged me to fight during the initiation."

"Did you accept?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "No I didn't, but that was when he surprised me again. At first I thought he'd try to force me into fighting him, but instead he accepted my refusal with a smile." Pyrrha started to blush. "Then he asked if he could be my friend."

Jaune started to grin when he saw the smile widening on Pyrrha's lips.

"He knew who I was, but he didn't care. To him I wasn't some untouchable warrior, or some idol to be worshipped. I was just another person. The same as everyone else. He yanked me from my pedestal and looked at me for me. Thanks to him – to all of you – I've made friendships that will last a lifetime. I was hoping this dance would give me the chance to finally let him know how I feel, but I guess I was a little too late. I'm such a hypocrite."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you to confess to Weiss your true feelings, but I can't do the same with her brother. I think I might understand how you feel now."

Crestfallen, Pyrrha walked back into the ballroom. "Enjoy the dance, Jaune."

"Wait, Pyr-"

"Hey. Your name's Jaune right?"

Jaune's worry quickly turned to irritation when he saw Neptune pass Pyrrha on the stairs. The bluenette approached with his usual confidence, but Jaune was in no mood this night.

He sighed roughly.

"This party's pretty lame, huh?" Neptune scoffed. "I mean ballroom dancing? Who does that anymore?"

"Yeah." Jaune replied blankly. He looked back over the balcony. Part of him thought about jumping off if it would mean not talking to Neptune a second longer.

"Lots of cute girls though, am I right?"

Jaune had finally had enough.

"Is that all you think about?"

Neptune was confused. "Huh?"

"Do you even care about the girls you hit on? Or what about how they feel about you?"

"Whoa! Where's this coming from-"

"Why did you turn her down?!"

"Turn who down?"

"Weiss!"

Neptune looked away, nervously rubbing at the back of his neck. "I…it…um…it just didn't work out."

Jaune easily saw through his flimsy excuse.

"'Didn't work out'? Do you think you're too cool for her or are there 'too many options'? **Weiss Schnee** asked you to the dance. What possible reason could you have for not-"

"I can't dance!"

Jaune was stunned silent. Out of all the things he thought Neptune would say, that was not on the list.

"Come again?"

"I can't dance, man!" Neptune repeated, he was too ashamed to look at Jaune. "Also...I'm really scared of her brother."

Jaune started to relax. Though he was still stunned by the first reason, the second seemed much more plausible.

"You'd rather break a girl's heart and have her go to the dance alone rather than just admit to a few people that you can't dance?"

"Pretty much. Yeah."

"Well I certainly feel better about myself."

"Please don't tell anyone!" Neptune begged. "Tell you what, if you want Weiss she's all yours. Don't let me stand in your way."

Jaune leaned against the balcony railing with a sigh. Part of him jumped at the chance to swoop in and be Weiss' knight in shining armor, but there was something much more pressing on his mind than his ego.

"Do you like her?" he asked Neptune.

"Yeah? I mean I don't know that much about her, but she seems pretty cool."

"Then just talk to her. No pick-up lines. No suave moves. Just be yourself. I've heard that's the best way to go."

"Sure but I-"

"You don't have to be cool all the time." Jaune emphasized. "In fact if you could be a little less cool. I'd really appreciate it."

"Yeah." Neptune grinned. "Ok."

"Go talk to her." The blonde urged. "I know it'll make her night, and don't worry about Natsu. He's a pretty cool guy once you get to know him."

The two young men smiled. Having gained a newfound respect for one another, they pounded fists.

"Thanks, Jaune. You know you're a pretty cool guy after all."

"Now you're just lying to my face." Jaune smiled ruefully. After Neptune was gone, Jaune took a deep breath. "Only one thing left to do now."

* * *

When Natsu turned the corner he finally saw the ballroom coming into view on the other side of the courtyard.

"There it is! I'm not too late!"

Running as fast as he could, the pinkette burst through the doors, alarming nearly everyone inside.

Weiss smiled upon seeing her brother. _Finally._

His hands on his knees, Natsu huffed in exhaustion as he took notice of all of the shocked dance attendees. He didn't care about them though. He had only come to this dance for one person. Finally his eyes fell upon a redhead near the back of the crowd. He quickly made his way over, pushing through the throng until he was within arm's reach of Pyrrha. He lightly tapped her shoulder. When she turned around, her eyes widened in shock.

"Natsu? What are you doing here? I thought you hated dances."

Natsu straightened up and bowed his head. "Sorry I'm late. It took forever to put this thing on."

Pyrrha looked over Natsu's outfit. He was wearing a wine red tuxedo with a black undershirt and a silver bowtie. His hair was also slightly less messy. He looked good. Though one crucial thing was missing from the ensemble.

"Where's your scarf?"

"Emily told me to leave it behind. Said it didn't match the suit." Natsu pouted. "I knew I should have worn it."

"No." Pyrrha started to blush the longer she looked at him. "You look very handsome without it."

Natsu blushed as well. "T-thanks. You look good too."

"Thank you. Oh, your bowtie is crooked."

"It is?" Natsu started to fidget with the bowtie. "Stupid…neck trap."

"Here. Let me."

Natsu stopped fidgeting and let Pyrrha help.

"There." She smiled once she was done. "Perfect."

"So…you wanna dance?"

"I'd love to."

Natsu smiled and grabbed her hand. "Then let's go." Natsu lead her to the center of the dancefloor. Now standing chest to chest, Pyrrha gently held her hands in Natsu's. It took everything she had not to explode from embarrassment. The music resumed playing.

"Do you know how to waltz?" she asked.

"A little." The pinkette replied with a coquettish grin. "Kinda had to where I grew up."

"Then I'll let you take the lead."

"I won't let you down."

Natsu stepped to the side, bringing Pyrrha along with him. As the pair turned, dipped, swung, and swayed their way across the ballroom her Pyrrha took notice of the fact that Natsu was much more skilled than he let on. They glided along the floor, both of them in near-perfect sync as they danced to the rhythm of the orchestral band. Soon it went quiet, not because the music stopped, but because the pair had completely drowned it out.

Natsu felt a warmth in the bottom of his stomach. The longer he stayed connected to Pyrrha the more it grew. She felt the same way.

When the rhythm of the song started to slow, so did their movements and they were soon stepping in circle. When Natsu felt Pyrrha rest her head on his chest, his cheeks reddened.

"Uh, Pyrrha-"

"May I stay like this for a little while?" she asked with a warm smile.

Natsu returned her smile. "…Sure."

Pyrrha nuzzled closer to him. She realized this was the moment she had been waiting so long for. She felt that there was nothing she needed to say. All of her feelings had been properly conveyed more in one dance than she could ever say out loud.

"…I found this new restaurant in downtown Vale." Natsu said.

"Yes?" Pyrrha prompted.

"I was thinking…I did say I was going to take you there sometime so…"

Pyrrha started to smile again. "Natsu, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Yeah." The pinkette nodded, his grin widening. "I guess I am. You wanna go?"

"I would love to." Pyrrha accepted.

As the pair slow danced, a forlorn Yang Xiao Long watched them from the second floor balcony. In a way she knew this would happen, and she smiled as best she could. This however did not stop the pang in her heart.

"I didn't think it would be that bad." she sadly mused.

"You ok?"

Ruby saw her older sister's saddened state and tried to comfort her.

"Yeah." Yang reassured. "Just a little heartbroken."

Ruby looked down to Natsu and Pyrrha then back to her sister.

"Yang…"

"That's enough moping around." Her sister said. "It looks like everything turned out ok in the end. This dance is just what we needed."

"Yeah." Ruby smiled. "You did a really great job planning it."

"Aw thanks!" Yang pulled her sister into a headlock. "But it wasn't just me. Weiss helped out a lot too."

Ruby looked to the heiress. She was sitting next to a few of the other students, but didn't seem to interested in interacting with them. When Neptune walked over, the two exchanged a few words that Ruby couldn't make out before Weiss offered the empty seat next to her. The bluenette obliged and sat down.

"Tomorrow it's back to work." Yang sighed.

"Yeah, but I know we can handle whatever comes our way."

The siblings heard laughter and looked to the door. When they saw what the commotion was about they were more shocked than amused.

"Well…almost everything." Ruby commented.

The laughter grew louder the more people saw what was going on. Eventually the ruckus reached Natsu and Pyrrha.

"Jaune?"

When Pyrrha peaked over Natsu's shoulder, she saw her friend wearing strapless white dress with a light blue ribbon tied around the waist. When Natsu saw Jaune he couldn't help but laugh like the rest of the crowd.

"Why are you in a dress?" he snickered.

"A promise is a promise." The blonde replied with a shrug. Despite his highly embarrassing state of dress he didn't seem too bothered by it. In fact he seemed pretty confident in his ability to pull the look off. For the most part he did.

Natsu had no idea what promise prompted his friend to wear a dress, but Pyrrha apparently did. Her smile began to quiver before she broke out into full-blown laughter.

"You didn't really have to do this." She said.

"An Arc never goes back on their word. Now would you like to stand there and laugh at me all night, or do you wanna dance?" Jaune held out his hand to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha looked to Natsu for confirmation and the pinkette graciously stepped aside.

"I was just about to get some punch anyway."

Pyrrha smiled at him. "Thank you, Natsu. I promise we will dance again."

"Don't worry about it. Just have fun."

Pyrrha took Jaune's hand. The pair were quickly joined by Ren and Nora - the former reluctantly - and soon the entirety of Team JNPR was tearing up the dancefloor while the rest of students watched and cheered.

"I had no idea you were a dancer." Pyrrha marveled at Jaune.

"Yeah well that's kind of a requirement when you grow up with seven sisters."

The pair split from Nora and Ren and started dancing on their own.

"So what made you change your mind?" Weiss asked Neptune. The two watched the rest of the students dance.

"Huh?" he replied.

"You said you were embarrassed before. What made you come talk to me now?"

"You're looking at him." Neptune directed Weiss' eyes to Jaune – who was moving surprisingly well despite being in a dress. "You got some good friends looking out for you."

Weiss glanced over to the punch bowl and saw her brother.

"Are you thirsty?" she suddenly asked Neptune.

"Uh yeah sure. I could go for a drink."

"Perfect. I'll be right back."

When Natsu saw his sister approach he nearly jumped out of his skin in fear of her icy glare.

"W-Weiss!" he coughed. "H-how's it going? You did a good job with the dance."

His sister's eyes narrowed.

"Look I know you're mad about me for being late, but I swear it's not my fault! I was-"

"Stop." Weiss interrupted. Her face started soften. "You don't have to explain."

Natsu titled his head. "I...I don't?"

"No you don't. Emily told me everything."

"She did?"

Weiss smiled. "I'm just glad you finally decided to come."

Natsu smirked. "Well I would be a terrible big brother if I let my little sisters hard work go to waste right?"

Weiss blushed. "You're such a fool."

Natsu looked over to Neptune. When the bluenette fearfully averted his gaze, Natsu quickly put two and two together. "Save me dance later?"

Weiss curtsied - unaware of what just happened. "Certainly, good sir."

"Awesome. I'll see you later." Natsu waved his sister goodbye and walked across the ballroom in search of something to do. Pyrrha and Jaune were still dancing so he didn't want to bother them. Blake was talking with Sun and his team, and Yang was urging the band to play something "with a little more funk". Seemed like everyone was busy.

Natsu grabbed his pocket scarf and started to wipe away the beads of sweat on his forehead. It was starting to get stuffy. This was one of the reasons he hated events like this. Eventually all of the bright lights shining and bodies cramped in such a small space would heat the room. While he could stand near-extreme heat, he hated the feeling of humidity. It messed up his hair.

 _I need some air._

Just before Natsu reached the door, he saw Mercury and Emerald standing against the second floor railing.

 _I didn't know they were here._

"Looks like all the dancers have partners." Emerald said.

"Hey guys!"

The two were startled by Natsu's call.

"I didn't know you two were coming." He smiled.

"Well you know how it is." Emerald replied with an uneasy smile.

"We couldn't turn down a good party." Mercury added.

"Where's Cinder?" Natsu asked. "I didn't see her anywhere."

"She had some personal business to take care of." Emerald answered. "So she couldn't make it."

Natsu's shoulders sank a bit. "Oh that sucks. She probably would have liked it here."

"Yeah probably." Emerald's smile started to falter. _Hurry up and leave already!_

"I'll catch you guys later then." Natsu waved. "Have fun."

"Yeah. You too."

When Natsu was gone the two breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's worried about me." Cinder said with a glimmer of amusement. She was speaking to the pair through earpieces. "Perhaps I will make an appearance after all. How much time do I have?"

"You should probably be home by midnight just to be safe." Mercury informed.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on the clock."

Natsu walked outside to get some fresh air. There he spotted Ruby.

"Too hot for you too?" he joked.

"Hm?" she looked over her shoulder to the smiling pinkette. "Oh hey, Natsu. Yeah. Dancing really isn't my thing."

"I hear ya."

"You looked pretty ok with it when you were with Pyrrha." Ruby teased.

Natsu blushed. "That was different."

Ruby giggled at his embarrassment.

"Do you see that?"

Natsu pointed to the rooftop of the buildings across from them. When Ruby squinted her eyes she could make out that it was a person running along the roof. When they jumped out of sight the pair immediately knew something was wrong.

"Let's go." Natsu said.

Ruby nodded. "Right."

* * *

Stealthily creeping up to the garden of the CCT, a woman dressed in all black quickly darted to the other side of the courtyard.

Alarmed by the silhouette he saw in the light, the guard on duty started to investigate. When he was far enough away from his post, the mysterious woman chopped him in the back of the neck – effectively knocking him out – and dragged his body into some nearby bushes. With him taken care of she then sauntered into the main lobby, much to the shock of the rest of the guards inside.

"Halt!" one of the men ordered. "This area is for authorized personnel only." When the intruder kept walking forward he started reaching for his gun. "I said stop!"

Suddenly the woman dashed forward and the guard began to shoot. Nimbly avoiding his shots, she got behind the man and gained control of his arm. When another one of the guards tried attacking her from behind, she pointed her captive's arm at him and pulled the trigger, shooting down the guard. She then kicked the back of her prisoner's knee to make him kneel and smoothly leapt over him; using the momentum of her movement to throw the man into the stair railing.

Two more guards ran at her with their batons ready to strike. The mysterious woman spun around, the odd markings on her arms and legs glowing red as she created two blades made of glass. Shen then easily dispatched the guards in her path before finally making her way to the elevator.

When it opened she was awkwardly greeted by two more guards. Flabbergasted by the sight of their comrades lying on the ground, the two men watched anxiously with weapons drawn as the intruder boarded the elevator. When the door closed they tried to attack – hoping the enclosed space would give them the advantage – but the young woman was too fast for them.

Natsu and Ruby arrived at the CCT not long after the battle was over.

"Why would she come here?" Natsu wondered.

Ruby gasped. "Look!" she pointed to the unconscious guard in the bushes.

Knowing they were in for a fight, the pair grabbed their scrolls and sent out a command for their weapons. Within seconds two rocket lockers landed at their location, housing Crescent Rose and Black Summer respectively. Once equipped the two stormed the tower.

Inside, the elevator let the mysterious woman off at the top floor of the tower. Walking over the unconscious bodies of the two guards she defeated, the woman made her way to the main communication terminal. She sat down and began typing in the code for some kind of program.

"A party guest is leaving." a voice informed over her earpiece.

The intruder sighed irritably. "Which one?"

"Ironwood."

"Guess the General's had enough fun for the evening." Another voice added. "We've got eyes on him. Should we intervene?"

Once the program was done uploading a queen chess piece appeared on the screen of the terminal. In a matter of seconds the same image appeared on the rest of the screens on the floor.

"No." the woman said. "We're done here." She stopped short of the elevator when she heard the motors moving. She had company. She hid under the desk and watched the door open. To her surprise it was Natsu and Ruby who stepped into the room. They looked ready for a fight.

 _Dammit!_ The woman cursed. Ruby she felt could handle well enough, but Natsu was not a person she accounted for. _It's too soon._

"Be careful." Natsu warned his friend. "She could be hiding out and waiting for us." Natsu sniffed the air for any scents that didn't fit, oddly enough he smelled one that was slightly familiar to him. _That's weird._

"Hello?" Ruby called into the seemingly empty room. "Anyone in here?" She then stumbled.

"You alright?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just these stupid shoes."

The two started to search opposite sides of the room.

 _I've no choice._ The woman thought. _I must engage them at least long enough to cover my escape._ Manipulating the glass on her mask, the intruder made a new one that almost completely covered her head. She then stepped out in front of Ruby.

"You know it's not a costume party." The young girl said. "So why don't you take that mask off and-"

The woman grabbed a vial of dust from a pouch on her leg and spread it in the air. It formed into sharp glass projectiles that shot towards Ruby with a push from the woman's hand.

"Ruby!" Natsu leapt over and lunged at the attacker, but she gracefully avoided him and formed her glass swords. The two began to clash.

Meanwhile, Ruby deflected the glass shards thrown at her by spinning Crescent Rose around. Once she was in the clear she pointed her scythe at the intruder.

"Natsu!"

The pinkette jumped back at the sound of his name and Ruby fired dust rounds at their foe. When she parried them, Ruby decided to attack with Crescent Rose's blade head on. She swung her scythe downward, but the woman simply evaded by leaping into the air.

Her arms and legs glowed orange as she combined her two swords into a bow. She creating and nocking three arrows, the intruder fired at Ruby with stunning accuracy. Natsu however intercepted and knocked the arrows away with Black Summer. The explosion from his attack blew a hole in the wall.

"You ok?" Natsu asked Ruby.

"Yeah. Thanks for the save."

The woman looked at the pair one last time before jumping out of the hole.

"Hey! Get back here!" Without a second thought Natsu followed after her.

"Natsu! Wait!" Ruby started to follow, but stopped when the elevator opened to reveal General Ironwood. "Uh oh."

* * *

Natsu followed the mysterious into an alleyway between two of the dorm buildings.

"Get back here!" he shouted.

Natsu realized back in the tower that he had sniffed her scent before, but he just couldn't place it.

Natsu's chase took him back to the main courtyard but when he arrived both the woman and as well as her scent were gone.

"What the? I could have sworn she was right here. Crap! I lost her!"

From a building not far from him, the woman watched with a grin on her face. "I enjoyed this game of cat and mouse." She said. "We'll have to play again sometime." She then vanished.

* * *

Natsu walked back to the ballroom with his head down in deep thought.

 _Who was that woman?_

"Natsu."

 _Why was she at the CCT?_

"Natsu."

 _I don't think she stole anything. So what did she want? This stuff makes my brain hurt!_

"Natsu!"

The pinkette was finally brought back to life by his sister's third call. He turned around and saw the all too familiar sight of his sister glaring at him.

"Where have you been? Pyrrha and I have been looking everywhere for you."

"I…uh…I went to get some fresh air." Natsu lied. There was no way he was going to tell Weiss that he was chasing a criminal through campus. Not only would she worry, but she would give him an earful for not 'taking it easy' like she asked.

Weiss raised an eyebrow at his explanation. She didn't fully believe him, but she couldn't prove that he was completely lying either. She settled on taking his words with a grain of salt.

"Ok. Where is Ruby? I saw her go outside earlier. Was she not with you?"

"Ruby? Oh yeah she's-"Natsu looked over his shoulder. When he saw no sign of his young friend he started to sweat. _I thought she followed after me. She must still be at the tower! Oh crap!_

"Natsu. Where is Ruby?" Weiss asked again, her tone having become noticeably more irrtated. "I'm waiting."

"Ruby is…she's…oh hey I think Yang is calling me! See ya later, sis!" Natsu dashed into the crowd leaving his sister even more frustrated and confused.

"Natsu, get back here this instant!"

The pinkette raced through the crowd in a haze, eventually bumping into Yang.

"Whoa there! Where's the fire?"

"Sorry." Natsu apologized. "I just really need to get away from Weiss."

"You came to the right girl. I was kind of hoping to find you anyway."

"You were?"

"Yeah. Come on. You owe me a dance." Yang yanked Natsu onto the dance floor. As the two swayed and spun around the floor to the music, Natsu noticed that a certain redhead was missing.

"Where did Pyrrha go?"

"Nora ate too much and passed out so her team took her home. She was trying to find you to say bye, but you were gone."

"Oh." Natsu said a bit dejected.

"You miss your girlfriend already?" Yang teased.

Natsu looked away in embarrassment. "She's not my girlfriend…yet."

Yang chuckled. "Don't worry, lover boy, you're in the clear." Yang's smiling face did well to hide the pain lingering in her heart. "You're pretty good at dancing. I'm impressed."

"Yeah I am pretty awesome." Natsu boasted.

"Ready for the finale?"

"Finale? What are you-"

Without warning Yang spun Natsu around as fast as she could and sent him sailing across the dance floor.

"Ya~ng!" Natsu's screams echoed throughout the entire ballroom. When he finally stopped spinning he found himself face to face with Blake.

"N-Natsu?" she was blushing at how close he was to her. "What are you doing?"

"H-hey…Kitty." He greeted groggily.

"You don't look so good, man." Sun pointed out.

Natsu's cheeks puffed out and his face turned green. He then made a beeline for the bathroom.

"He sure knows how to make things interesting." Sun smiled.

"Yeah." Blake grinned. "He does."

* * *

A hand tapped Emerald's shoulder as she and Mercury danced. Upon turning around she was greeted by Cinder. Her leader was adorned in an elegant black halter dress with long black gloves and a slit running up her left leg.

"May I cut in?" she politely asked.

"Of course." Emerald stepped aside and Cinder began dancing with Mercury.

"And how was your evening?" he asked coquettishly.

"A little more exciting than originally thought."

"Should we be worried?"

"Not at all. They'll still be scratching their heads long after we've finished what we came here for."

"So what happens now?"

"Now we just enjoy the rest of the night. It is a party after all." Cinder looked over Mercury shoulder just as Natsu came out of the bathroom. "Speaking of 'fun'."

Mercury realized what she was alluding to and let her go. "Enjoy." He said with a smirk.

Cinder walked over to the irritated Pinkette as he fixed his bowtie and hair.

"Stupid Yang. I'll show her what a real spin is-"

"You are looking quite handsome this evening."

Natsu looked up and was surprised to find Cinder in front of him. "You're here."

"I am." She nodded. "I heard you were looking for me."

"Sorta."

"Well here I am. Care to dance?"

"Sure." Natsu took Cinder by the hand and made his way back to the dance floor. As the waltz played once more, the two moved instep to the rhythm.

"You're quite good." Cinder complimented.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."

"I'm usually much better. I suppose I'm still a little tired from my errands earlier."

"Yeah. Emerald mentioned that. Everything ok?"

"Everything is fine. Just a few minor changes to some plans I made. Nothing to worry yourself over."

As the dance continued, Natsu noticed Cinder getting closer and closer to him. Not wanting to make the situation awkward, Natsu took a small step back on the next turn.

Cinder noticed his hesitation. "Something wrong?"

"Nope." Natsu answered with a nervous smile. "I just don't wanna step on your toes."

She smiled. "How considerate of you, but I wouldn't worry too much about that. It's your toes that you should be protective of."

Natsu smiled at the joke, but deep down he felt uneasy. As soon as Cinder appeared before him Natsu noticed something odd.

 _She kind of smells like that thief from earlier._

* * *

At the CCT, the remaining guards gathered outside in the courtyard; each one wondering just on who in Remnant was the woman that attacked earlier. There was also the matter of that nothing was missing. There was a leak.

Inside the top floor of the tower Ruby sat in a chair with her nervous planted firmly on the ground as General Ironwood paced back and forth. There was no doubt she would be in some kind of trouble later.

Finally, on the monitor of the main terminal, the clock turned to midnight and an image of a queen chess piece briefly flashed on the screen.

* * *

 **New Chapter! Some new developments happening in this one.**

 **Also I know a few of you have been asking if any of the characters of Fairy Tail will show up. The only thing I can say to that is wait and see.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	23. Mountain Glenn

The dance had come and gone, but not all were settling back into the groove of things after it ended.

"They were here. Ozpin, they were here!"

General Ironwood slammed his fist onto the Headmaster's desk in a rage. High above the skies in Ozpin's office Ironwood, Ozpin, and Glynda Goodwitch gathered to discuss the incident at the CCT.

"We are very much aware of that." Glynda said to the general. "Thank you, James."

"Fantastic! You're aware! Just wonderful! Now would you like to address this problem or should we just continue to turn a blind eye to what is clearly in front of us?!"

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the trio. Before anyone could speak the door alarm on Ozpin's desk started beeping.

"Come in."

The elevator opened, and out stepped Ruby and Natsu.

"Sorry, we're late." The young girl apologized. "Someone hit all of the buttons on the elevator on the way up here."

"She did it." Natsu pointed.

"What?! No I didn't!" Ruby quickly defended. "Besides even if I did, which I'm not saying I am by the way, you helped."

"Don't try and pin it on me."

Ozpin cleared his throat, effectively stopping the pair's bickering. "Thank you both for coming. How are you feeling?"

"Ok I guess." Ruby answered modestly. "I'd feel better if I wasn't 0 for 3 in the bad guy catching department." Her joke failed to change mood.

"What about you, Natsu? I heard you chased the thief from the tower."

"Yeah but I lost her." The pinkette groaned. "I was right behind her but she still managed to give me the slip."

"Well let me be the first to commend the both of you." Ironwood approached the students. "The two of you acted exactly how a Huntsman and Huntress should. You recognized a threat, took action, and did the absolute best that you could. There is something to be said for that type of dedication."

"Thank you, sir." Ruby said.

"And Natsu, I know your elder sister would be proud of you as well."

"Thanks." Natsu replied quickly. It was clear he didn't care for the general's praise.

"Now that the both of you have rested, is there anything you have to add about the incident?" Ozpin requested.

"Did she have any accomplices?" Professor Goodwitch quickly questioned. "Did she look familiar to you at all?"

"I…I don't know." Ruby answered with a shake of her head. "She wore a mask, and she didn't say anything, but I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her semblance though, and whenever she attacked her clothing lit up."

Natsu looked down at his feet as Ruby talked. Since the burglar's entire face was covered he didn't know for sure what she looked like, but he couldn't shake that familiar smell from his nose.

"Natsu, do you have anything to add?" Ozpin asked.

"Huh?" Natsu looked up to the rest of the room staring at him. "Oh...no. I got nothin."

"...I see."

"Aside from the glass, Ruby's description matches the woman I fought the night I met her and Natsu." Glynda surmised.

"Embedding dust into clothing is a centuries old technique." Ironwood explained. "It could have been anyone."

"Do you think this girl is related to Torchwick and the White Fang?" Ruby asked.

"It's possible." Ozpin acknowledged. "But we still lack sufficient evidence to link them together."

Ruby started to think. "...Actually I think remember her saying something about having a hideout…in the southeast."

"You did?" Natsu questioned. He was quickly elbowed in the rib for his trouble. "Ow." When he saw the look in Ruby's eyes he quickly realized what was going on. "O-oh yeah. She did say that."

Ozpin grinned. "Interesting." Glynda on the other hand was confused.

"I thought you said she didn't-"

"Thank the both of you for your cooperation." Ozpin interrupted. "Why not spend some time with your teams? You all have a big day ahead of you."

"Thank you. Let's go, Natsu"

Natsu rubbed his sore rib as he walked with Ruby to the elevator. "That hurt you know."

"Don't be a baby I've seen you take worse."

Before they entered the elevator Ozpin offered some final words..

"You two. Please try to be discreet about this meeting. If you would."

"Yes, sir." Ruby nodded.

"I can keep a secret." Natsu added.

They then entered the elevator and left the office.

"Well there we have it." General Ironwood walked to one of the windows, looking out as his ships soared about the skies. "We send as many troops as possible to the southeast, find out what exactly is going on, and eliminate anything that stands in our way."

"Why must everything be a 'triumphant' display of military bravado?!" Glynda fumed. "You treat every situation like a contest of measuring di-"

"Glynda."

The witch calmed down at Ozpin's insistence.

"I only speak the truth." She asserted with a cross of her arms.

"She is right though." Ozpin said to Ironwood. "As much as I'd love to give a swift end to this conflict, we must remind ourselves that this could go well beyond the borders of Beacon or Vale. If this is truly some master plan of which we know not the end of, we can't afford to be so brazen in our retaliation. Nor can we incite panic."

Ironwood had a hard time accepting this answer, but replied to Ozpin as respectfully as he could.

"I have served you faithfully for years, but if you are telling me that you're content with just sitting around and waiting-"

"I'm not!"

Ozpin abruptly rose from his chair, his eyes displaying a firmness that neither Ironwood nor Glynda had seen in quite some time. After a few seconds he softened.

"You're a general, James. So perhaps you may be able to tell me. When you go into war who do you send in first: the flagbearer or the scouts?"

* * *

Natsu couldn't focus. The only thing running through his mind was the incident from last night. He had replayed it over and over again, but failed at finding anything different. Who was that woman? What did she want? Why did she smell familiar? No matter what angle he looked from nothing made sense. It was starting to frustrate him to the point of anger.

"Natsu, I'm starting to sweat again."

"Oh. Sorry."

Natsu lowered his body temperature to a more manageable level. "Better?"

"It is. Thank you."

After leaving Ozpin's office, Natsu met with Cinder and the two went into the forest for their "reflection" day. Natsu hoped that meditating would allow him to think more clearly, but after the third reprimanding from Cinder that clearly wasn't case.

"You're distracted." Cinder said. She across from him with her eyes closed and her legs crossed. "Do you wish to share what's troubling you?"

"It's nothing." Natsu quickly answered. "I'm fine."

"I wouldn't ask if your body temperature weren't starting to rise again. At this rate you will scorch the entire forest."

Natsu took a deep breath and lowered his temperature for the fourth time. Clearly meditation wasn't going to work. He needed something more physical to relieve his stress.

"Where are Mercury and Emerald?"

"They're preparing for the mission assignments later today. I know what you're thinking, but this is a reflection day. No fighting."

Natsu started to pout. Cinder opened one of her eyes to peek at him. When she saw his frustrated state she relaxed.

"Why did Professor Ozpin call you into his office?"

"Something happened at the dance last night."

"I heard the rumors. Apparently a thief broke into the CCT."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. He just wanted to know more about it."

"Why would he ask you?"

Natsu hesitated for a moment before answering. "…I was there."

"So that is why you arrived at the dance late. Did you see what the person looked like?"

"No. She was wearing a mask, and it was kinda hard to see in the dark. She was a pretty good fighter though, and fast. She ended up running away from me when I chased after her."

"I see. That's too bad. Perhaps you will catch her next time. Still, I do wonder what she wanted though."

"Yeah. Me too."

When the two resumed their session Natsu's mind began to wander. The thief's smell was similar to Cinder's. It wasn't exact, but it was close enough where Natsu started to doubt his partner. How much did he really know about Cinder and the rest of his team? They were a pretty secretive bunch. There was also the fact that Natsu didn't even see Cinder at the dance until after he chased away the intruder. Something didn't add up.

"Hey, Cinder."

"Yes?"

"…Why did you come to the dance so late?"

"I believe Emerald told you that I had a personal matter to deal with."

"What was it?"

There was a brief pause before Cinder answered him.

"Is there something you wish to say to me, Natsu?"

Cinder's tone was much rougher than Natsu had been exposed to. It gave him a slight chill.

"N-not really. I was just asking."

Cinder let out a sigh. "I was speaking with my mother."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Your...mother?"

Cinder nodded. "Yes. She can be rather…difficult and controlling at times. She was the one who pushed me to come to Beacon. I was simply telling her how things were going and it ended in an argument like it always does."

Natsu dropped his head in guilt. "Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Cinder grinned. "No it was my fault for getting defensive. You meant no harm." She then stood up and offered her hand to him. "It seems that neither of us are very focused today. Why don't we end today's session here?"

Natsu grabbed her hand and was pulled to his feet.

"Yeah. Sounds good."

"Shall we get ready for the assembly?"

"I already packed my stuff. So I was going to see what Weiss and the others are doing."

Cinder accepted this with a small nod. "Then we will meet you in the amphitheater in an hour."

"Alright. See you later, Cinder."

"Yes. Until then."

As Natsu ran back towards the school, a playful grin tugged at Cinder's mouth.

 _Just be patient a little longer, Natsu. Soon I will show you - as well as everyone else - the truth._

* * *

Pacing through the dorm room halls, Natsu continued to ponder Cinder's explanation. A small part of him didn't believe her. It just all seemed to convenient a story, but on the flipside he had no real way to prove that she was lying. She's my teammate. he thought. I should trust her a little more. I mean why would she break into the CCT anyway? WHat could she want there that she just couldn't during the day time? He scratched the top of his head.

"This investigating stuff is hard."

Further down the hall, he could hear someone tallking.

"That was a risky move." The voice belonged to his sister.

"I think you handled it well." The next voice belonged to Blake.

"I hope so." Finally he heard Ruby.

When Natsu reached Team RWBY's room he knocked on the door.

"Who could that be?" Weiss asked.

"I'll get it." Yang ran over and opened the door for the pinkette. "Oh hey, Natsu. What's up?"

"I was just wandering the halls and heard you guys talking. What's going on?"

"Ruby was just telling us about the conversation you both had with Professor Ozpin earlier." Weiss explained. "Why didn't you tell me you fought a thief last night?"

"I didn't want you to worry. Besides thieves usually steal stuff. The woman we fought didn't."

"Either way you should have told me."

"Would you still be mad if I did?"

"…Probably."

Natsu rolled his eyes.

"Oh! I almost forgot." Yang walked to the desk and grabbed a tube that was sitting on it.

"What's that?" her sister asked.

"Don't know yet. Dad sent it to us."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Oh something from home!" she squealed. She zipped onto her sister's back, frantically waving her arms around in an attempt to grab the piece of mail.

When Yang shook the tube the bottom cap came off and out fell a black cylinder.

Natsu leaned in closer to the object. "What is that?"

"I think it's moving." Blake noted.

Faint noises could be heard coming from the cylinder. It hopped around twice before fully unrolling into a white and black corgi. When it barked Ruby and Yang were over the moon, Weiss and Blake were frightened, and Natsu was well...confused.

"Zwei!" Ruby exclaimed in delight. She quickly grabbed the dog and began kissing him.

"He sent a dog?!" Blake shouted.

"In the mail?!" Weiss added.

"He does this stuff all the time." Yang said nonchalantly.

"Your father or your dog?" Blake asked from the safety of Ruby's bed.

Natsu was still lost. _How did that dog fit in that tube?_ He asked himself. He wasn't a math or science genius or anything like that, but even he felt offended by the impossibility of the situation.

Weiss stepped forward. Her trademark stare now focused on Zwei.

"Are you telling me this mangy…drooling…mutt is going to is going to wiv wif us foreva? Oh yes he is! Yes he is!"

In an instant the heiress' demeanor changed. It was love at first sight.

"Ok. What just happened?" Blake questioned.

"Weiss has liked dogs since she was a kid." Natsu explained. "Dad never let us have one though." He then shrugged. "I don't see what the big deal is. I've always been more of a cat person myself."

For some reason Blake blushed at this.

"You ok?"

"Y-yes! I'm fine!" Blake swiftly nodded, freeing her mind of it's delusion. "Just keep that thing away from my belongings."

Just then an announcement sounded over dormitory speakers.

"Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheater?"

"So what now?" Weiss asked. "We can't exactly leave Zwei here while we're gone for a week."

Yang dug further into the tube and pulled out a piece of paper. "Look a letter." She read it aloud."'Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days so I'm sending Zwei for you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both. Taiyang.'"

When Yang held the tube upside down again, numerous cans of food fell on top of Zwei. He poked his head from the top of the pile.

"What exactly is he supposed to do with all of that?" Weiss questioned.

Yang shook the tube one last time and out fell a can opener.

"Well that settles that. Come on, guys, Zwei will be here when we get back."

Yang lead Weiss and Blake – who escaped by jumping from the bed to the desk – out of the room and Weiss made more baby talk with Zwei on her way out. When Natsu passed by the mailing tube he picked it up and looked inside. It didn't look any bigger on the inside than on the outside.

 _I wonder if I could fit in there._

"Natsu, hurry up!" his sister called.

"Coming!"

The only person left in the room was Ruby. As she stared at Zwei she started to wonder. Was it really ok to leave the dog by himself an entire week? Though small, Zwei was known to get into a lion's share of mischief when they were back home.

That's when she got an idea.

* * *

Natsu and Team RWBY filed into the noisy amphitheater a few minutes later. As expected all the first-year students attending Beacon - as well as the visitors from other the schools - had already arrived. Everyone was split up according to the kingdoms they represented.

The group found a space to stand in front of Team JNPR.

"You guys are pretty late." Jaune joked.

"We had a couple of things to take care of." Ruby replied with a smile. Her bag started to shake.

"What's that?"

"N-nothing!" She quickly grabbed her bag and held it close until the shaking stopped. "Shhh." She whispered to the bag before placing it over with the others.

When Natsu spotted Pyrrha he smiled.

The redhead blushed and looked away with a nervous grin.

The pinkette cocked his head to the side in confusion. Just last night He and Pyrrha were as close as they had ever been, but now she seemed too embarrassed to even look at him.

"You should find your team before the assembly starts." Weiss suggested.

"Oh yeah. You're right. See you guys later." Natsu waved and went off to find his team.

"Smooth, Pyrrha." Nora said.

The redhead sunk her shoulders in shame. "I'm sorry."

Amidst all of the chatter, Professor Goodwitch stood on the stage. Professor Ozpin was next to her.

"Quiet. Quiet please." she said into the microphone.

The noise started to settle after a few seconds.

"Before we begin the proceedings, Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words."

She walked off to the side as the Headmaster took center stage.

"Today we stand united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day - nearly eighty years ago - the largest war in recorded history reached its end. It was a war fought through ignorance, greed, and oppression.

It was about much more than what borders fell or who traded with who. No the reasons were more complicated than that. The war was waged against the idea of individualism itself. There were countless reasons why the battles wore on as long as they did: one such reason was the destruction of art and self-expression itself. It was a terrible act, and I need not remind you that many could not abide by this crusade.

In retaliation, those who opposed such tyranny named their children after a key component of art: color. It was a way of showing that not only would they not stand for this mark of oppression, but neither would the generations that followed. We continue this doctrine in today's society. We foster and encourage: individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity."

As Ozpin continued, nearly everyone felt a sense of pride at his words. The lone exception was Cinder Fall.

 _What tripe._

"You ok?"

The dark-haired woman was brought out of her mind by Natsu. He had a look of concern on his face. To assuage his worries she smiled at him and relaxed her clenched fist.

"Yes. I'm fine."

On stage Ozpin finished his speech.

"As I've said today we stand together. United. But this bond cannot exist without effort. So while the rest of the kingdoms celebrate their peace, Huntsman and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first-year students you will all be tasked with chaperoning a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission.

This may require some of you to leave the kingdom for several days. While others may work within the walls for the remainder of the week. However, no matter the path you choose remember to be safe, remember your training, and do your absolute best."

Finished, Professor Ozpin walked off of the stage to applause from the students. Next everyone began moving to the mission postings around the amphitheater.

"This is perfect!" Ruby said to her team. "All we gotta do is pick a Huntsman heading to the southeast!"

"Yeah!" Her sister yelled. "We'll follow during the day and give them the slip at night."

"Let's check 'Search & Destroy'." Weiss suggested.

Team RWBY walked to the nearest holo-screen and saw their preferred job. It called for extermination of Grimm in Quadrant 5, which luckily for them happened to be in the southeast. Ruby entered the team's info at the prompt but when she pressed confirm they were immediately shut out. The screen flashed with bright red letters that read: "Mission Unavailable to First Year Students".

"Wonderful." Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby suggested. Her idea was met with the appropriate amount of silence from her friends.

"Well that is indeed one option."

Professor Ozpin approached the girls.

"Unfortunately we concluded that the concentration of Grimm in that area was too overwhelming for new students." he explained. "Curiously though Quadrant 5 seems rather popular. I also have the sneaking suspicion that you four will find your way there no matter **which** mission you end up choosing."

Team RWBY glared at their leader glared as she scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Why whatever makes you say that?" Ruby asked with unconvincing ignorance.

"I'm still wondering how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester." Ozpin said. "As well as how you knew about a supposed 'hideout' in the southeast. There was also the reports of seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago as well."

"Uh…um…" Ruby searched for the right words to get her out of this conversation, but Ozpin simply smiled.

"I doubt I'll ever know the answers to those questions. So how about this? Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why not just bend them?"

Ozpin began to type on his tablet. In a matter of seconds the "Search & Destroy" mission was unlocked for them to accept.

"Thank you, Professor." Ruby smiled. "We won't let you down."

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried this team far, but the challenges that await you beyond the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your Huntsman at all times and do exactly as he says. He is the leader of this mission, and he can have you sent back here at a moment's notice if he finds your skills…unsatisfactory. Good luck, girls."

He then left, leaving the girls with somewhat dampened spirits.

"Well **that** was uplifting." Yang remarked.

"It's not like he was wrong." Blake maintained.

"Sure it'll be tough, but I know we can do it." Ruby reassured.

"Yo."

The girls turned around and saw Team CMSN walking to them.

"You guys pick a job yet?" Natsu asked.

"Yep. We're going to take out some Grimm outside the kingdom in the southeast." Ruby said.

"Really? That sounds fun! Wish we could go."

"What are you guys doing?" Yang asked.

"We're assisting with clean-up in the warehouse district." Cinder answered.

"We voted and I lost." Natsu sulked.

"Well at least cleaning up will assure you don't cause any more damage." His sister reasoned.

"Thanks." Natsu said sarcastically.

Yang placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll hit the Grimm twice as hard for you."

"Where are you all heading now?" Cinder asked.

"We were going to the platform to meet our Huntsman." Ruby said.

"Mind if we see you off?"

"Nope. The more the merrier."

Team RWBY and Natsu started out of the amphitheater. The rest of Team CMSN waited a little while before following.

"The southeast?" Emerald questioned. "You don't think-"

"Of course they are." Cinder smirked. "Why else would they be going there if not to find Roman?"

"So what now?" Mercury asked. "We can't just let them mess stuff up can we?"

"We'll inform Roman of the situation and let him handle it from there. Our priority right now is clearing out the remains of the warehouses before someone stumbles upon anything."

"What if Natsu finds out? He already looked pretty suspicious after the dance." Emerald inquired.

"He only has vague suspicions right now. Even if he manages to find something he won't be able to track back to us. Now let's hurry along before they realize how far behind we are."

The trio followed after Natsu and the others.

* * *

When Teams RWBY and CMSN reached the courtyard, they saw a large group of students blocking their path to the landing pads.

"What's going on?" Weiss asked.

They caught a glimpse of four people walking through the crowd. It was Team CFVY.

"When did they get back?" Yang asked.

"Let's go say hi." Ruby suggested.

The two teams waded through the gathered students, emerging in the front of the crowd just in time to catch Velvet. When Blake called out to her she turned around.

"Are you alright?" she asked her fellow Faunus.

"I'm fine." The bunny girl nodded. "I had Yatsuhashi watching my back."

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago." Weiss said. "What happened?"

"Nothing really happened, per se. There were just…so many Grimm." When Velvet saw Team RWBY start to worry she raised her head and smiled. "There's no need to worry. You first-years are only shadowing Huntsman. You'll be fine."

"Ri~ght." Yang didn't sound too convinced.

When Velvet spotted Natsu she started blushing. "N-Natsu. I didn't know you were here."

"I've been here the entire time." The pinkette replied.

"O-oh. Right. H-how are you feeling? I heard that you were in the hospital."

"I was but I'm fine now. Thanks for the flowers by the way."

Velvet squinted in her confusion. "F-flowers?"

"Yeah. I got them while I was in the hospital. You didn't have to go out your way to send them though, I bet Coco probably put you up to it, right?"

"Coco? Why would she-"Velvet looked over to her team. When she saw her friend wink at her from over the rim of her glasses, she put the pieces together.

"Velvet?"

The rabbit Faunus snapped back to Natsu, her face just as red as before. "I-I'm glad you're alright."

"Thanks."

"If you want…would you like to hang out sometime? We haven't really talked in a while. We could catch up?"

Natsu smiled. "Ok. That sounds cool."

Velvet started to smile. "Then I will see you later. Be safe, you all." Velvet rushed back to her team. Upon her return she was met with Coco's usual confident grin.

"So how did it go?" She asked.

Velvet turned her nose up at her friend and kept walking.

"Oh come on. Don't tell me you're mad. I gave you the perfect set-up. Back me up here, guys."

"I'm not getting in the middle of that." Fox refused with a shake of his head.

"Matters of the heart really aren't my forte." Yatsuhashi said.

Coco sighed. "You guys are such wimps."

* * *

When the group finally reached the landing platform, Team RWBY were starting to question if they really made the right decision. After Velvet's report, they slowly found themselves becoming less and less enthused about their chances for success. If even Team CFVY - one of the strongest teams in the school - had to be pulled back, what chance did they have?

"Don't worry, guys. You can do it." Natsu encouraged from behind. "Don't worry so much."

"Yeah." Ruby nodded. Her confidence started to return. "Natsu's right. We've been in tougher spots before. This isn't any different."

"Right." Blake agreed.

"Besides it's not like we'll be alone out there. We'll be following a genuine Huntsman."

"Yeah!" Her sister shouted.

Upon approaching the platform housing their airship, Team RWBY were shocked and horrified at the person waiting for them…Professor Oobleck! Dressed in full exploration gear no less.

"Hello, girls!" The excitable teacher greeted. "Who's ready to risk their lives?"

Natsu, Emerald, and Mercury started to snicker. Even Cinder's amused grin proved that she was not immune to the comedy of the situation.

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss questioned after the shock settled in.

The bespectacled professor started to pace back and forth, speaking in his usual frenetic timbre.

"Yes, girls. I'm sorry, but those bags will not be necessary. Seeing as how you have chosen to shadow a Huntsman – myself – on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission, I can tell you with confidence that we will **not** be establishing a base of operations, but instead traversing hundreds of miles of hazardous terrain and setting up camp at any available locations we may find along the way.

I've already taken the liberty of packing our essentials, plotting the air course, and readying the airship. Oh and one last thing." He leaned in towards Weiss, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "It's **Doctor** Oobleck. I did not earn my Ph.D. for the fun of it, Miss Schnee. Now hurry along, children, according to my calculations we are already three minutes behind schedule!"

 **Doctor** Oobleck raced to the air ship. Leaving behind a confused Team RWBY and an amused Team CMSN.

Ruby tried to look on the bright side.

"Alright! Looks like we're going to save the world with Dr. Oobleck-ok when you say it out loud it's way worse."

"Save the world?!"

Teams RWBY and CMSN turned around and watched Team JNPR come up to them.

"You're going on world saving missions without us?!" Nora wailed. "I'm hurt, sad, and maybe a little hungry. That last one isn't your fault though. Ren." She glared at her partner, but he simply turned his nose up at her and looked away.

"Sounds fun. Where are you going?" Jaune asked.

"Just outside the kingdom." Ruby answered.

"Hey so are we!" Nora piped up.

"She and Ren wanted to shadow a sheriff at a nearby village." Pyrrha elaborated.

"We set out tomorrow." Ren adde.

"Are you guys going with them?" Jaune asked Team CMSN.

"Nah." Natsu waved off. "We got stuck with clean up duty in the city."

"Well at least you won't be in any danger." Pyrrha spoke up with a blush. She was still too nervous to look at Natsu directly when she spoke to him though.

"Uh. Yeah. I guess not." He was still confused by her behavior, but he shrugged it off.

"Looks like you guys can party with us tonight."

Neptune and Sun suddenly appeared next to the teams.

"We're shadowing a crime specialist." Neptune said. "All inner-city crime stuff. We even get junior badges."

Jaune's eyes sparkled in wonder. "Wow." he gasped. He always wanted a badge.

"You certainly seem eager." Cinder commented.

Neptune quickly slid to her side. "I am. Job like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"I imagine it is." She tittered.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

 _Again?_

"Name is Neptune. I don't think we've ever met, Miss…"

"Fall. Cinder Fall. I'm a member of Team CMSN."

"Well I think any shade of red looks good on you." Neptune complimented.

Cinder chuckled. "My aren't you a bold one? Not most would be able to pull that off in your condition."

"What do you mean, my firefly?"

Cinder's eyes trailed downward. When Neptune figured out what she was looking at he was hit with a wave of embarrassment. His fly was down.

"Oh man!" he quickly backed away and zipped up his pants. Everyone started to laugh.

"Serves him right." Weiss nodded.

"Thank you, Emerald." Cinder whispered.

"Don't mention it." The thief smirked.

Sun stepped in front of his embarrassed friend to do damage control. "Anyway, we chose this job since it will give us a chance to explore the city when it's normal. No offense but every time we go with you guys stuff gets...blown up."

"Well-" Ruby began.

"Four minutes, ladies!" Oobleck interrupted from the ship.

"Wish us luck." Ruby smiled unevenly.

As the teams parted ways, Natsu and Weiss remained in the center.

"Be careful out there." Natsu said to his sister. "If you need me just call and I'll come running."

The heiress chuckled. "I hardly think you'll be able to get there fast enough to do anything, but I will keep that in mind." She hugged her brother and looked over his shoulder. When she saw Cinder smiling at her she started to narrow her gaze. "You be careful too."

The siblings waved goodbye one last time as Natsu watched his sister board the airship.

"We should hurry and find our Huntress." Cinder advised.

"Alright. I'm coming." He looked to the rising air ship before catching up with his team.

He had a bad feeling about the mission Team RWBY was going on.

* * *

As the airship soared over the country, Team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck looked out of the open cargo door at the land below. They were so high up that everything looked miniscule. It was like looking at an ant colony.

Weiss chuckled to herself. _I bet Natsu would have passed out if he were here._

"I just never figured you for much of a fighter."

On the other side of the ship Yang and Doctor Oobleck were having a discussion.

"Admittedly I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I assure you girls that I have had my fair share of tussles. Let's not forget that I am a Huntsman after all." The Doctor responded. Blake and Yang weren't too convinced by his answer. Ruby on the other hand was completely lost. Something about the word "tussle" confused her.

"Do you mean like the mushroom?" she questioned.

"Those are truffles." Blake corrected.

"Like the sprout?"

"Those are brussels." Her sister chimed in. Doctor Oobleck continued talking.

"Given my expertise in the field of history - as well as my minor forays into archaeological surveys - Professor Ozpin saw fit to assign me to this here…assignment!"

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss inquired.

"You silly girl, what a preposterous question! History is the very backbone of our society as well as the liver! Probably the kidneys as well."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"The southeast quadrant of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves you see." Oobleck explained. "But it is also the location of one of the kingdom's greatest failures."

"Mountain Glenn." Ruby revealed.

"I remember hearing about that in school." Yang spoke up. "It was supposed to be an expansion of Vale, right? Though in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city."

"That is correct!" Oobleck stated. "Now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder."

"And a likely place for a hideout." Blake added.

Dr. Oobleck smirked eagerly. "Precisely."

The ruins of Mountain Glenn came into view and the air ship slowly touched down. All over the girls saw tall abandoned buildings and broken streets. It certainly lived up to it's reputation as a dead city.

When the airship hovered mere inches above the center street, Team RWBY and Doctor Oobleck jumped out and the ship flew away. The girls readied their weapons for any enemies, but their designated Huntsman remained calm; sipping from his thermos when he touched down on the ground.

"Ladies." Doctor Oobleck called. The girls turned and faced him. "You may still be students, but as of right now your first mission as Huntresses has begun. From this moment onward you will do as I say when I say it. Is that understood?"

The girls nodded in agreement.

"Ruby!"

The leader of Team RWBY flinched at the sound of her name.

"I thought I told you to leave you bags at school." Oobleck said. He was referring to the big backpack she was carrying with her.

"Well you hadn't told us to listen to you yet." Ruby countered. "...So I didn't."

Weiss shook her head in disappointment.

"She's not wrong." Oobleck muttered to himself. "Very well then. Leave your bag here and we'll pick it up when we return."

"But I-"

"Young lady! What could you possibly have in that bag that is important enough for you to break-"

Just then Zwei poked his head out from Ruby's bag.

"Get back in the bag." She whispered, hoping no one had paid her too much attention.

Zwei barked.

Doctor Oobleck did not look pleased.

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought a dog?" he questioned.

"I…um I-"

"Genius!"

Oobleck grabbed Zwei and hoisted him into the air, accidentally knocking Ruby down in the process.

"Canines are historically known for their perceptive noses and heightened sense of sound." He said as he and Zwei spun around. "This makes them perfect for hunts such as ours!"

Zwei barked. Apparently he agreed with the doctor.

"I'm a genius." Ruby beamed. Weiss and Yang face palmed.

"What are your orders now, Doctor?" Blake asked.

"Ah yes, straight to the point. I like it." He dropped Zwei. "As you've been informed this area has been marked for its high number of Grimm activity. There are many reasons for this phenomena one of which being…Grimm."

The girls were confused.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Grimm." Oobleck repeated. "A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards before us at this very moment."

Team RWBY spun around and saw a lone Beowolf stepping onto the broken street from one of the alleyways. They quickly drew their weapons.

"Stop." Oobleck ordered. "There are a host of reasons why Grimm would converge on this area in particular. The most likely one is their attraction to negativity."

The group watched the Beowolf skulk around. It seemed to have no interest in them. In fact it didn't even seem aware that they were there.

"Sadness. Loneliness. Envy. Hatred. All these qualities are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

"So…what do we do?" Ruby asked with slight disappointment. She wanted to fight monsters.

"We wait and we track. If it leads us to its pack, then they will likely lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Yang asked.

"It's not clear." Oobleck answered. "It could take hours, days, or even weeks. Grimm have been known isolate themselves from their packs for months...and there's the whole pack."

A number of Beowolves emerged from the same alleyway as the first, but unlike the first they turned their attentions to the group.

"And now they've seen us." Oobleck stated.

"What?" Weiss blurted out.

"And now they've seen us!" Oobleck loudly repeated.

"I guess tracking is out of the question now." Ruby joked.

"An accurate assumption."

The Grimm began to charge.

"What's the plan?" Yang implored.

Oobleck sipped form his thermos.

"Show me what you're capable of."

The girls ran into battle .

"Cover your ears, Zwei." Ruby said. The dog followed her order and she used the shots from Crescent Rose to propel herself into the fray.

The battle was a relatively quick one. Since the Beowolves were small fry, the girls made quick work of them without suffering injury. When they were done they reported back to Oobleck.

"Easy." Ruby smiled.

"Don't get comfortable." he warned. "For this is the first bout of what is sure to be many. Shall we continue?"

As the group travelled further into the abandoned city, Oobleck's predictions came true and they encountered more Grimm hordes. With each street they crossed they found themselves embroiled in one battle after another. As the girls fought for their lives, Doctor Oobleck was content with observing the ruins around them. Barely paying attention to the monster's he tooks notes on and observed the decayed flora and crumbling buildings.

"Excellent work, girls!" Oobleck praised as Team RWBY finished off another batch of Grimm. They were all breathing heavily, but he didn't seem to mind it. "There doesn't look to be any criminal activity in this area. Oh well, moving on."

Yang had finally had enough.

"Hey, Doc, you know I was kinda looking forward to seeing a pro Huntsman in action." she challenged. "Either fighting or at the very least **helping** us fight."

"Yang, don't." Blake advised.

"Ah, but you see I am in action." The hyper doctor replied. "I'm scouring the ruins for any irregularities. Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, Miss Xiao Long. Sometimes things are only a hive full of extermination. Remember that you all signed up for this job."

"I know." Yang backed down. "O-of course."

At this Oobleck began to think, and after another battle he pulled the blonde aside.

"Enlighten me, Yang. Why did you choose this line of work?"

She pondered this for a moment. "To fight monsters and save-"

"No that is what you **do**. I want to know **why** you do it. Why do you want to be Huntress?"

Ynag took a moment to answer again. "Honestly? I'm a daredevil." She admitted. "A thrill seeker. I want to travel the world and get involved in as many crazy adventures as I possibly can. If I get to help people along the way, then that's even better. Everybody wins."

"I see."

Another battle passed and Oobleck engaged in conversation with another girl. This time was Weiss.

"A girl born into fame and fortune such as yourself certainly doesn't need the extra burden of being a Huntress. I'm curious, Miss Schnee, why choose this line of work over a much less perilous career in Atlas?"

Weiss removed Myrtenaster from the heart of a Beowolf she killed and turned to the Doctor - who was sitting in the window of one of the buildings.

"It's as you said." She answered. "As a Schnee I have a legacy of honor to uphold. Once I realized my abilities in combat there was no question as to what I would do with my life. This is simply my duty."

"Interesting." Oobleck scribbled in his notepad. "I imagine your brother shares the same ideals as you."

Weiss hesitated to answer. "I…I guess so."

Hearing gunshots ringing from a nearby building, Professor Oobleck zipped away and found his final subject - Blake - standing in the middle of dead bird Grimm.

"You certainly carry yourself with a sense of purpose, Blake." He praised. "What is your motivation?"

"There's too much evil in the word to just stand by and do nothing." She answered simply. "Inequality. Corruption. Someone has to stand up and stop it."

"A worthy goal, but how does one go about achieving it?"

Blake found herself at a loss for words. "I…" she soon slumped over in defeat, unable to form an answer. The doctor replied with a small hum and sped back to here Ruby and Zwei were waiting. The former was teasing her dog by holding a cooked turkey at the end of her weapon over him. When she saw the Doctor she quickly put it away.

"Sorry. Are we ready to keep going?"

"No that should be all for today. It's starting to grow dark." He put his notepad away and suddenly threw his bag to Yang. Next he pointed to a building a few feet ahead. "You three set up camp in that building there." He said to Yang, Blake, and Weiss. "Also be sure that there are no more of those…creatures. You're leader and I will secure the perimeter. Come along, Ruby."

The pair walked off along with Zwei, leaving the rest of the girls to wonder where they went wrong. When Ruby and Oobleck rounded a corner they came upon the end of the city. Before them was a large, mostly dead, forest with Grimm resembling elephants walking through it.

Ruby's eyes opened in wonder. "What is that? It looks awesome!"

"My dear girl, that is a Grimm." Doctor Oobleck explained.

Ruby couldn't believe it. She had never seen Grimm so massive before. She pulled out Crescent Rose and loaded it.

"Let's kill them."

"I'm afraid your sniper rifle will do nothing more than irritate them." Oobleck said.

"But, what if they attack?"

"You needn't worry, Ruby. The last thing those Grimm are concerned with is us."

Ruby reluctantly lowered her weapon.

"Not every Grimm is mindless." Oobleck said. "Or rather not every Grimm is **still** mindless. The ones you see before you are so powerful and more superior to the one's you previously fought, that they have no doubt lived for hundreds of years. In that intervening time between killing humans and attacking our borders they have done one crucial thing: learned.

They've learned that when they attack our borders they are likely to die, and that what humans may lack in strength, we make up for in will. They know that killing just one human, will only bring in more."

"If they know that, then why are they still so close to the city?" Ruby pointed out. "What are they doing?"

"...Waiting."

The two watched the Grimm a little longer. When they finished passing by, they took their leave.

"Doctor Oobleck, I've been wondering-"

"You want to know why I've been interrogating your teammates all day." He finished.

"Kinda, but I actually wanted to know: why did **you** become a Huntsman?"

The Doctor was slightly surprised by the young girl's question, but he answered it nonetheless.

"Look around and tell me what you see, Ruby."

Ruby scanned the area, but found nothing really of note. "Lots of old buildings, empty streets, and…"

"I see lives that could have been saved." Oobleck said. "My job as a Huntsman is to protect the people of the kingdom. Now while I can do that very thing with conventional weaponry, I firmly believe that I can accomplish that task much better with my mind. As a teacher, I am able to take knowledge – the most powerful weapon in the world – and impart it to every student that enters my classroom.

When I look at these ruins I not only see lost lives, but more importantly an opportunity to study and learn how to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again. This knowledge will only make us stronger. I am a Huntsman, because there is nothing else in this world that I would rather be."

Ruby thought of the Doctor's words, a small smile appearing on her face as she and Zwei followed him to camp.

* * *

At camp, Yang, Blake, and Weiss all circled around the fire they made. They had been staring at for what felt like hours, each of them reflecting on their conversations with Doctor Oobleck in one way or another.

"All this searching and we came up with nothing." Yang sighed.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time." Blake said. "Guess today luck wasn't on our side."

"I didn't mean it." Weiss suddenly said.

"What?" Blake questioned.

"Earlier. I said I wanted to uphold the legacy of my family, but there's much more to it than that." she explained.

"Yeah." Yang nodded in understanding. "Me too. I just…I don't know."

"Neither do I." Blake chimed in. "I know what I **want** to do, but I never figured out exactly **how** I was going to do it. I just naturally assumed I could take things one step at a time."

"Well it doesn't matter now. We know why we're here…" Yang's smile started to falter when she saw the hesitation on her friend's faces. "Right?"

"Wonderful!"

Doctor Oobleck whooshed into the campsite like the wind.

"A textbook campfire!"

"Fire!"

Ruby and Zwei entered soon after, the former kneeling down and warming her hands near the flames.

"So warm." She shuddered joyfully.

"Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed." Oobleck said. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We also need to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode.

"Yo." Ruby volunteered.

"Excellent!" Doctor Oobleck zipped away again.

Ruby got up from the fire and went to take her position at the window for first watch. Zwei followed close behind. Before she could settle, Yang called out to her.

"Hey. Did Oobleck ask why you became a Huntress?"

"No. He didn't. Weird. Well good night, guys." With that Ruby went to keep watch.

Her answer made her teammates feel even worse. Why were they singled out? Feeling that there was no reason to question it any further, they each rolled out their sleeping bags around the fire and laid down hoping that sleep would rid them of their insecurities.

Ruby sat on her perch, slowly petting a frightened Zwei as the calls of Grimm rang in the night air.

"Don't worry." she said to the pup. "Things will be better tomorrow."

She did not yet know how wrong she was.

* * *

 **New chapter! I know this one was the most canon out of all of them so far, but I didn't really see much that needed changing. Putting CMSN with them would be too much to juggle so i just decided to give them another mission. Don't worry though, things will get back on track next chapter. (Unintended pun is unintended).**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	24. A Wild Ride

Mercury flopped onto his bed as soon as he entered the bedroom.

"Man. Why do I have to clean up a mess I didn't even make?" he groaned.

"You don't even clean the messes you **do** make." Emerald remarked as she sat on her own bed and took off her boots.

"Doesn't change my point." Mercury muffled from his pillow.

Cinder saw Natsu sitting next to the window and walked over to him.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked. "You've been there for quite a while."

"Not really. Guess I'm just worried about Weiss and the others."

"Their mission is only reconnaissance according to Doctor Oobleck. I'm sure they'll be fine. You should get some rest soon. We still have a couple day's cleaning ahead of us."

"I know." he sighed.

"Good night, Natsu."

"Night."

While Cinder got into bed, Natsu continued to stare out into the night sky.

* * *

On the main landing platform of Beacon Academy, General Ironwood looked out to the illuminated city of Vale. It was a beautiful view - which was only amplified by the crystal clear reflection in the clear blue water that separated the school and the city - but the general's erratic thoughts kept him from fully admiring it.

"Trouble sleeping?"

When the General looked over his shoulder he was met with the surprising sight of Glynda Goodwitch. The outspoken teacher stood next to him, joining him in his city gazing.

"Arm was acting up." Ironwood lied, placing his hand on his right arm.

"Of course. That's why you dressed yourself completely came here and stared out menacingly into the distance."

Ironwood couldn't help but grin at her sarcasm.

"What's wrong?" Glynda asked seriously. While she wasn't the biggest fan of the general, she at least respected him enough to worry about his well-being.

"I've trusted him – Ozpin – for years." Ironwood stated. "We both have. Even so, I have this nagging suspicion that he's keeping us in the dark."

"Preposterous." Glynda argued. "You know better than anyone that **we** are not the ones in the dark."

Ironwood chuckled. "That's what makes it worse. I can't just accept that a man I've trusted for so long would act so…passively at a time like this."

Sensing his frustration, Glynda placed a comforting hand on the General's shoulder.

"You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people. Even when met with stern opposition. And while that trait is admirable, it's time you started **showing** trust instead of just talking about it. Ozpin has experience in matters that we could only dream of. That in itself is something to remember."

Ironwood sighed and looked back to the city. He wasn't completely pacified, but he knew that was the best answer he would get for now.

"I suppose you're right." he said.

* * *

Ruby continued to keep watch over the campsite. Everyone was fast asleep and it took everything she could to keep from joining them. Her boredom increasing by the second, she found herself peeking at the surrounding Grimm through the scope of her rifle.

A few times the creatures looked her way before resuming their search for whatever tied them to the ruins in the first place. Ruby wanted to shoot one very bad, but she knew that killing one would bring a whole pack to their doorstep. SO she sat an waited for her shift to be over.

Next to the fire Yang opened her eyes. No matter how hard or how many times she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was too burdened with thoughts. "Blake? You awake?"

"…Yeah." The Faunus answered.

"Why do you think Oobleck asked us why we wanted to be Huntresses? What was he really trying to say?"

"Maybe he was curious."

Yang turned to her friend. "You think so?"

"…No."

"What about you, Weiss? Are you awake?"

"Of course I'm awake." The heiress sniped. "You two keep talking. I don't know why Doctor Oobleck asked either, but when I said I wanted to honor my family's name…I meant it, but not in the way that you think. I'm not naïve. I know full well what my father has done. Since he took over, the company has operated in a sort of...moral gray area."

"That's an understatement." Blake remarked.

Weiss sat up. "That's **why** I want to make things right. Taking a job in Atlas wouldn't have changed much of anything. My Father was not the start of our name and I refuse to let him be the end of it, but that's not the only reason I do this..." Weiss turned and looked at the crackling flames. "I'm sure you both realized by now that Natsu and I…are not blood-siblings."

"I wonder what gave it away." Yang said sarcastically. "Could it be the pink hair or the fact that you two look nothing alike?"

"I'm being serious. When he first showed up to our house I had no idea what to make of him. No one did. Here was this boy with pink hair and this white scarf wrapped around his neck standing in our doorway just as lost as the rest of us. He was really dirty. It was like he hadn't showered in days, but that wasn't what I noticed about him first: that was his eyes."

"His eyes?" Blake repeated.

Weiss nodded. "I could tell he was lonely. Just like me. My Father was always away for work, and my older sister spent most of her time at school and rarely came home. As a result I spent most of my time alone in our big house. Sure I was doted on by the staff, but that did help ease the pain. When Natsu arrived I thought that I had finally found someone like me. Someone that knew what it felt like to be alone. I wanted to know more about him, but it was a lot harder than I thought."

Weiss smiled wryly. "The first time I tried to talk to him, he completely blew me off. I offered to show him around the mansion but he told me to leave him alone and he walked away. We didn't speak for a couple of weeks after that. I thought he hated me, but I didn't give up.

Every day after that I'd follow him around the house, hoping that observing would serve me better than talking. Unfortunately I wasn't the best at hiding and Natsu found me out every time. He'd scold me and tell me to go away, but I just wouldn't listen. I was like a fly that kept buzzing around. No matter what he said I would do my best to stay by his side, then the Grimm attacked us."

Yang and Blake's eyes widened in shock.

"To this day I still don't know how it made it onto the grounds. It cornered me in the garden. I can still remember its sharp fangs, its blood red eyes, and its horrid breath. I thought for sure that I was going to die, but Natsu saved me just in time. He had to know that he couldn't defeat it on his own, but he didn't care. The only thing he was worried about was protecting me." She touched the scar over her eye.

"What happened next?" Yang eagerly asked. She was not completely into the story - it reminded her of her own encounter with Grimm when she and Ruby were small.

"I don't completely remember. I was knocked unconscious during the incident. When I woke up the Grimm was nowhere to be found. It just...disappeared. I was told it escaped, but to this day I'm not sure. Natsu doesn't remember what happened either."

"So since that day the two of you have been close?" Blake questioned.

Weiss nodded again. "Natsu started showing the side that you all know today shortly after. I don't really know what triggered it, but I was happy for it. He was – is – a wonderful big brother. No matter how tired he was or what bad mood he was in, he would always make time to play with me. In hindsight I supposed I was a bit selfish, but he didn't seem to mind. He's actually one of the reasons I chose to come to Beacon.

I was sick of being under my Father's thumb. He would test me over and over again to prove I was worthy of making my own choices. No matter what I did, it wasn't good enough for him. Just when I thought about giving up and accepting my fate, Natsu stepped in.

With his help I was able to finally free myself of my Father's scrutiny and come to Beacon. So yes, while everything I do is to bring prominence back to the Schnee name, I also want to prove to everyone that I can make it on my own without my family's influence...I want my brother to be proud of me."

"I had no idea." Blake uttered. She was completely surprised by how much Weiss shared.

"You've got a bit brother complex, don't you?" Yang teased.

Weiss blushed and fell back onto her sleeping bag with a pout. "I have no such thing!" she protested.

"...All my life I've fought for what I believed in." Blake said. "Before coming here I had a partner. Well he was more like a mentor actually. His name was Adam. When I started to have doubts about what we were doing he always assured me that we were actually making a difference.

I wanted to believe that, in him, but eventually I found out that Adam's idea for a perfect future and mine were two completely different things. I wanted equality. He wanted subjugation. That's why I came to the academy. I was always told that Huntsman and Huntresses were regarded as the most respected heroes in the world. I wanted to fight for good, but I never really thought past that."

Blake looked at her hands. Despite gripping Gambol Shroud many times and engaging in more battles than she cared to count, they were still so fragile. How could hands like that bring about change in the world?

"What can I do? How can I undue so many years of fear and hate once I leave this place?"

"You'll figure it out." Yang reassured. "You've never been the type of person to back away from a challenge."

"That's all I've done!" Blake retorted. "It's the only thing I **can** do. When you guys found out I was a Faunus, I ran. When I saw the truth about my oldest partner, I ran. When my first human friend ran into a burning building to save the people inside, I ran."

Yang didn't know who Blake was referring to last, but Weiss did. Natsu had told her about his connection to Blake before.

"Even my Semblance says that about me. I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself to take the hits I'm too afraid to. Running is the **only** thing I'm good at."

There was a brief silence before Yang finally spoke her piece.

"At least you both **have** something that motivates you." She rolled over onto her stomach. "I've always just…gone with the flow, you know? I don't see much wrong with. It's who I am, but how long can I really keep it up? I don't know. I wanted to be a Huntress for the adventure, not because I wanted to be a hero or anything like that. A life not knowing what tomorrow brings is a good thing to me, and being Huntress is perfect for that."

She looked to her sister, who continued her watch completely unaware of their conversation.

"Ruby's always wanted to be a Huntress. She aimed to be just like the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day. Even when she couldn't fight she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trains so hard."

"Weiss, why did Natsu want to become a Huntsman?" Blake suddenly asked.

"I honestly don't know." The heiress answered with a shrug. "Natsu has always just done whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted to. It was like the rules and procedures were an insult to him. One minute he would do something and then the next he was focused on something completely different. He was the wind. It can be good, since nothing really tends to keep him down, but it can be troubling as well.

Sometimes I don't think he quite understands the responsibility of being a Huntsman. It worries me, but at the same time I know that no matter what he chooses to do he commits himself to it one hundred percent. That's the kind of stubborn person he is."

Yang chuckled. "Sounds like him, but look at us. A bunch of kids armed to the teeth in war zone swarming with Grimm. Who would have thought?"

"This is the life we chose." Blake reminded. She was starting to smirk as well.

"It's a job." Weiss said. "Each of us had this romantic vision of what being a Huntress would be like in our heads, but at the end of the day it's our duty to protect the people. Whatever we want is secondary."

Doctor Oobleck rested on the floor above the girls. Having heard their entire conversation, he smiled. They were finally starting to understand.

* * *

Time passed and eventually it was time to switch lookouts. Yang volunteered to take her sister's place and in gratitude a weary Ruby flopped onto the blonde's sleeping bag. After only an hour or so of rest, Ruby was awoken by Zwei. The very much awake corgi stood on all fours and looked to the exit of the hideout. His panting was starting to irritate his owner.

"Zwei, it's late." She yawned. "Go back to bed."

Suddenly the dog scampered out of the door.

"Zwei!" Ruby called. Being careful as to not disturb the others, Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and chased after her dog. When she reached the street Ruby found Zwei relieving himself on the structure of an unfinished building across from her.

"Zwei, this place is a wasteland." She sighed. "You could have **literally** done that anywhere."

Zwei answered with a bark.

"What was that?"

A faint voice in the distance alarmed Ruby and she quickly scooped Zwei into her arms, and hid herself on the side of a nearby building. When she peaked around the corner she saw two White Fang foot soldiers.

"What was what?" one asked.

"I thought I heard a Beowolf."

"Let's just finish patrolling and head back to base. This place freaks me out."

Seeing this as the moment she had been waiting for, Ruby – with Zwei in tow – started tailing the two men. They stopped at building not far away from where Ruby spotted them. Ruby quickly darted behind the nearest building for cover. She held Zwei out from the wall to scope out the situation.

"Did they go in?" she whispered. "One bark means yes. Two means no."

Zwei watched the two men open a heavy door and enter. He barked once. Ruby almost jumped for joy.

"This is it!" She exclaimed. "We found it!" She pulled out her scroll to call the others, but just as it started to dial the screen flashed red and the words "Low Signal" appeared. "Oh man. Let's head back and tell the others."

Ruby and Zwei started their way back to camp, when the street they walked on started to suddenly started to collapse beneath them. Ruby caught Zwei before he was swallowed into the darkness and threw him back to the street. When she tried pulling herself up the ledge she was holding gave way and she fell into the abyss.

She didn't fall for long, but it was high enough that whatever she landed on hurt pretty bad. Shaking the cobwebs from her head, Ruby stood up and looked around. Her eyes went wide upon seeing tall buildings similar to the ones up top in front of her. She had fallen into an underground city.

She barely had time to register this discovery before a door swung opened behind her. To her "luck", out walked two White Fang soldiers. They pointed their guns at her without hesitation.

"Freeze!"

"Where did she come from?'

Ruby slowly stepped back, but immediately stopped when she nearly fell from the roof of the building she was on. It was a long way down, and she was not looking to fall again anytime soon. The soldiers closed in on her.

"You're a long way from home, little girl."

Ruby reached for Crescent Rose, but was horrified when she felt nothing in its holster. _Oh no! I must have dropped it when I fell!_

One of the men grabbed her, but Ruby ripped her arm out of his grip.

"Hands off!" she punched him in the stomach. No effect. She was useless without a weapon.

The soldier struck her across the face with a hard right, knocking her to the ground. As Ruby tried to regain her bearings, she heard one of the guards talking.

"The boss is going to want to see this one."

The last thing Ruby saw was the man's boot hitting her face.

* * *

Yang stretched and walked back into camp.

"Alright, Weiss, it's your…" Her voice trailed off when she saw her empty sleeping bag. "Hey, where's Ruby?"

Everyone started to look around for the missing girl until Zwei ran in. Heading straight for Yang, his frightened whines started to concern the others.

"What's going on?" Blake asked.

"Grab your weapons." Doctor Oobleck ordered. "You're leader could very well be in trouble."

* * *

When Ruby woke up, she found herself being dragged along the ground by the two men who found her. Hearing the sounds of people shouting and machines working, Ruby started to look around. All over the White Fang were piling up shipping containers using Paladins as well as loading supplies on what appeared to be train cars.

She heard a loud clang and her eyes cut to one of the open train doors. There she saw two men standing around what appeared to be a bomb.

"Be careful with that!" one of them shouted. "You trying to blow us to the moon?"

"Sorry, sir!"

The two men holding her stopped walking.

"Hey, boss!" the one to her right shouted. "We found something you might wanna see!"

"Is it good or bad, Perry? Because let me tell ya, I have had a day."

Ruby's heart started to beat faster, her eyes widening when she looked over her shoulder. She would recognized that voice anywhere.

"It's a little girl?" Perry answered.

Just as Ruby feared, from out of the open car door appeared Roman Torchwick.

"Yeah." He threw his cigar to the ground upon seeing Ruby. "That would qualify as bad."

* * *

The girls and Doctor Oobleck followed Zwei to the hole Ruby fell into.

"Look! Ruby's scythe." Yang pointed to Crescent Rose, which was lying a couple of inches away from the hole.

"Oh no." Blake worried.

"Do you think she fell down this hole?" Weiss guessed.

Oobleck looked down the hole. He couldn't see anything in the darkness. It could have gone down for miles. "Oh my." He then came to a realization. "Of course! Of course! Of course! Of course!"

"What?!" Blake implored. "What is it?"

"How could I have been so foolish?!"

Oobleck's erratic ramblings were not helping the situation.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked.

"Mountain Glenn!" he shouted. "An expansion of Vale that became overrun by creatures of Grimm! Once home to thousands of people! Working people! Communities that advanced the city! The main city! They built a subway system to the inner city! Grimm attacks increased! People now in danger and desperate for shelter! They evacuate into the metro tunnels, and what do they find?! The southeast quadrant of Vale is known for wild forests, and deep caves!"

"Doc, what are you saying?" Yang demanded. She was starting to get scared.

"My dear, we are not looking for an underground crime network. We're looking for an **underground** crime network!"

"They've been working out of caves?" Blake guessed.

"No. No." Oobleck denied. "Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. Thanks to an aggressive perimeter defense and underground transportation it worked for a period of time. The city had developed an elaborate transit system that transported citizens safely from the city to the main kingdom. Though without the natural borders surrounding Vale to protect it, Mountain Glenn was doomed from the start.

Knowing the end was near, the citizens attempted one last means of survival. They sought shelter beneath the city; in the massive caves they had cleared out for the subway. Effectively cutting themselves off from the surface."

Yang still didn't quite understand. "They made an underground village?"

"To put it simply, yes. Though this safe haven was short-lived. An explosion opened another mouth of the cavern, and from it emerged hordes of subterranean Grimm. The kingdom sealed off the tunnels shortly after, creating the world's largest tomb. If Ruby truly is down there…" The Doctor grabbed his thermos. When he shook it, it elongated into a club. "We must find her. Quickly."

* * *

Torchwick laughed as he kicked Ruby to the ground. He had been knocking her around for the past number of minutes, and was having a pretty good time of it.

"You are much more manageable without that annoying weapon of yours." Torchwick mocked.

Ruby charged, but Torchwick stepped aside and tripped her with his cane. She once again fell to her face in the dirt.

"You know what, Perry, I **did** need this. Thanks."

The guard who brought Ruby gave his boss a thumbs up.

"Though seriously, how did you find this place, Red? My boss gave me the heads up that you and little friends would be skulking around, but I didn't think you'd actually find us. Color me both surprised and annoyed."

In a flurry of rose petals, Ruby zoomed away using her Semblance. She ran as fast she could towards the tunnels, but snapped back when Torchwick fired the hook of his cane at collar of her cape. The retractable wire dragged her back to the villain.

"Got some tricks up your sleeve, Red." He complimented. "But let's not spoil the fun. We're not done yet."

Just when Ruby thought her time was up, an explosion echoed throughout the cavern.

"Oh what now?! Perry, if you and the boys could take care of that I'd really appreciate it. Kinda busy at the moment."

Just as Perry's squad started to move another explosion rang out.

"Will someone tell me what is going on here?!"

A plume of fire - accompanied by a third explosion – flared out from a nearby passageway. Torchwick saw a few of his men running away from and shooting at something. He squinted to get a better view at what was causing the ruckus, he saw the rest of Ruby's team and Oobleck coming towards them.

Seeing another opening, Ruby jumped onto Torchwick shoulders. When she was thrown off she made a break for her friends.

"Someone kill her!"

Torchwick and his men opened fire at the fleeing Ruby, but she managed to dodge their shots. Livid, Torchwick started for the train.

"Attach this car and spread the word!" he ordered to one of the foot soldiers. "We're starting the train."

"But we're not finished-"

Torchwick choked the man against the side of the car with his cane. "Do it or **you're** finished."

"Y-yes…sir."

Ruby was a fingertip away from her friends before being cut off by more White Fang soldiers. They readied their weapons to shoot, but were quickly blown away from behind by a shot from Yang.

"Ruby!" The blonde wrapped her arms around her sister and held her tight when she zipped into her arms.

"Are you ok?' Weiss asked.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Ruby said as Yang let her go. "Listen. Torchwick's got all kinds of weapons and robots down there." she pointed to the train being loaded.

"What?" Blake questioned as she handed Ruby Crescent Rose.

"That's ridiculous." Oobleck objected. "The tunnels down here are sealed. They only lead to a dead end."

A loud screech of wheels on rails echoed in the cavern.

"Get to your stations we're leaving now!"

Torchwick's announcement was followed by the expelling of steam and the rolling of wheels on tracks. Slowly the train cars started to pick up speed, their horns blaring the faster they went.

"Well they're going somewhere!" Yang pointed out to Doctor Oobleck.

"We need back up! I'll call Natsu!" When Ruby pulled out her scroll and tried to call the pinkette, but was once again reminded of her low signal. "I can't get through!"

"What do we do?" Weiss implored.

"We only have one option." Doctor Oobleck said.

Ruby knew exactly what he was insinuating. "We're stopping that train."

Making a run for the last car, the group boarded and knocked out the guards inside. In the lead car, Torchwick was alerted of their presence by one of his men.

"Boss, they've made it on the train!"

The flame-headed thief rolled his eyes. "Then grab some cargo and get them off!" When man left Torchwick groaned. "Animals! Every one of them!" He quickly back-pedaled when saw the conductor of the train next to him. "N-not you though. You're great."

Team RWBY, Zwei, and Doctor Oobleck made their way to the roof of the caboose car.

"Alright, children, we have to get to the front and stop this train!" Oobleck said.

"Excuse me…Professor?" Weiss called.

"Doctor." he corrected.

"What's that?" she pointed to steel tube with red and blue wires on the sides of it. Ruby instantly recognized it as on of the bombs she had seen earlier.

"That, my dear, appears to be a bomb." Doctor Oobleck said. The girls jumped back in fear.

"Heads up. Company." Ruby pointed ahead to a number of White Fang henchmen moving along the top of the cars towards them.

"Well it's not like I expected them to go-"

Oobelck was interrupted by the bomb arming itself.

"Easy on us." He finished with a sigh. "Time to go, girls. Blake, detach the car. If it explodes it will kill us all."

"Right." Blake jumped between the cars as the others jumped to the next car. When she was prepared to cut the coupler, the caboose suddenly detached. "It separated itself!" she shouted.

"What?!"

"Looks like he really doesn't want any extra passengers." Yang joked.

Oobleck watched the last car blow up when it was far enough away. "That's not good."

"Neither is this." Ruby opened the door of the car they were currently on to reveal another bomb.

On a hunch Oobleck ran to the next car ahead, just as he feared that one housed a bomb as well.

"They **all** have bombs!" he informed the girls.

The second bomb armed and the girls – along with Zwei - quickly jumped to the next car. Just as the caboose before it, the car decoupled from the train on its own.

"This is crazy!" Yang shouted.

As the White Fang closed in the girls prepared to fight. Team RWBY made quick work of their enemies; knocking them onto, inside, or off the train altogether in rapid succession.

Oobleck watched the second car blow. The explosion caused lifted the car into the air. It hit broke through the tunnel's ceiling, allowing Grimm of all size to enter from the surface as well as the nearby caverns. With a united roar, the monsters chased after the train.

"Oh dear. He's leading Grimm to the city!" Oobeck yelled.

"What?!" Weiss shouted in disbelief.

"It's the cars! When they detach and explode they make openings for the Grimm to come through!"

"That's insane!" Blake said. Just then the third car detached.

"We have to hurry!" Oobleck said. "Blake! Weiss! Yang! You three go below and stop those bombs! Ruby! You and I are going to stop this train!"

"I know." The young girl deadpanned. "I said that earlier."

As Yang, Blake, and Weiss dropped between the cars and entered the train, a couple of Paladin mechs started to come to life when boarded by a couple White Fang soldiers. On jumped onto the top of the train, stopping Ruby and Oobleck's advance.

Undeterred, the Doctor finished his drink and extended his thermos into a torch. As if responding to his weapon Zwei jumped into air. Doctor Oobleck swung his torch and hit the dog like a baseball. The Zwei zoomed through the air and knocked the Paladin from the train When the second mech appeared, Oobleck bashed it to pieces with his torch.

"Cool." Ruby gasped.

* * *

Yang, Weiss, and Blake pressed on through the train cars. After quickly getting rid of a few groups of enemies along the way, they were now three cars away from the front and Torchwick.

"Looks like this is what we trained for." Yang said with a grin.

Weiss reached into her jacket pocket and grabbed her extra dust rounds. "Here these should help." She tossed them to Blake.

"Thank you." The Faunus loaded them into Gambol Shroud.

The trio were halfway to the door before being abruptly stopped by the same girl who helped Torchwick escape on the highway. Her two tone eyes highlighting her confidence, she smirked at the trio.

"She's mine." Yang proclaimed. "You two go on ahead."

Weiss and Blake sprinted to the door. When Neopolitan aimed to take them down, her attack was stopped by a shot from Yang. When her friends were clear and out of the door, Yang approached her opponent. The two were now face to face.

The difference in their height was clear - Neopolitan was even shorter than Ruby - but Yang didn't care. She knew from the moment she saw her that this girl was dangerous. Any underestimation would spell her doom. The tension started to build between then. As Yang lined up her knuckles, Neopolitan's cocky smirk remained unchanged. The next instant the battle began.

Yang opened with a right hook. It was blocked by Neopolitan's umbrella.

The two-toned girl opened the umbrella and held it over her shoulder, beckoning Yang to try again. The blonde obliged with a flurry of punches and kicks. Neopolitan dodged them all. She moved like a dancer. Never losing composure or footing.

In one quick motion she countered Yang with the back of her foot; knocking the blonde to the ground. She followed up with a flipping kick. Yang rolled away.

 _She's fast._ The blonde thought.

Yang charged again. Neopolitan caught her arm with her umbrella. Two hard kicks - one to the head and another to the abdomen - once again felled the blonde.

Yang was getting madder by the second. She fired rounds from Ember Celica. Neopolitan blocked the shots with her open umbrella and forced Yang back.

The angered blonde slammed her fist into the ground. Once again Neopolitan avoided the explosion, somersaulting backwards until she sat comfortably on a crate. Her ever present grin had yet to falter. She'd hardly broken a sweat.

* * *

As Weiss and Blake pressed through the next car, they were stopped by another enemy: this one being the White Fang lieutenant from the rally. He was dragging a chainsaw behind as the girls closed in.

"Go. I'll take him." Weiss said to Blake.

"Right."

The man hoisted the chainsaw above his head and prepared to strike down Weiss, but was parried by a passing Blake. With a few precise strikes the heiress forced the man to the ground just as Blake escaped.

The lieutenant rose to his feet with a menacing laugh. "Finally. I get to kill a Schnee."

Weiss pointed Myrtenaster at him; the cartridges inside rotating.

* * *

Blake finally arrived at the lead car. Her eyes burning red with anger when she confronted Torchwick.

"Hey, kitty cat." He greeted facetiously. "Miss me? If you brought pinkie along with you we could have had ourselves a nice little family reunion."

Blake attacked without hesitation. Torchwick intercepted with a swing of his cane, but hit a fire clone that exploded and sent him airborne. Blake's follow up sword strikes knocked him back to floor.

Upon standing up Torchwick fire a blast from his cane. A clone of earth to took the hit and Blake leapt into the air again. Torchwick swatted at her but hit another her clone. The two clashed in close quarters. Torchwick seemed to have the upper hand until his cane was stuck inside an ice clone.

As he struggled to free himself Blake slashed the air, creating a crescent blade of purple energy that blasted Torchwick into the car door. He then fell to the floor.

Blake stepped on his shoulder keeping him on the ground as she pointed her blade at his neck. How easy would have been to kill him right now? She knew that was not the way, but part of her believed that ending Torchwick would help end this nightmare once and for all.

"Why are we fighting?" Torchwick questioned. "I saw you back at the rally we're on the same side."

Blake didn't fall for his silver tongue. She held her weapon closer to Roman's throat.

"Still feisty. I like that. So what are you gonna do now? Do you honestly believe a little bow is going to make people forget what you were...or what you've done?"

* * *

 _I'm getting tired of this._

Yang stomped towards Neopolitan. When she attacked, her mute foe blocked with her umbrella. Neopolitan spun around and kicked the blonde back.

Yang fired a blast. It was once again blocked by the umbrella. Neopolitan went on the attack. When she kicked her foot was caught.

"Finally caught you!"

Yang attempted to throw the girl to the ground. Neopolitan flipped and landed on her feet. She charged, twisted around Yang's body, and launched her into the ceiling. The blonde landed on the ground unconscious. She had lost.

Neopolitan unsheathed a sword from the bottom of her umbrella and approached her comatose foe. Just before she administered the killing blow, a red and black blur forced her back.

* * *

The White Fang Lieutenant rushed Weiss. The heiress created a barrier using her glyphs, pushing him back when his weapon made contact. He tried attacking again. Weiss deflected by sticking her sword in the ground. The chainsaw ran down the length of Mytenaster. A strike to the face staggered the lieutenant back.

After a second attack, the man swung his chainsaw. The nimble snow queen backflipped under the arc of his swing. A few more accurate stabs knocked the man to the ground.

He attempted to use his power to get the better of her. Weiss avoided his swing again. She jumped into the air, pushed from the ceiling to attack, she missed. She quickly recovered and forced him backwards.

The lieutenant now off balance, Weiss summoned a time dilation glyph. She blitzed her opponent; creating Glyphs behind him. She bounced between them with each strike and knocked him over again. However, her luck finally run out.

"Come here, Princess."

The man grabbed Weiss' face and slammed her into the floor. He slung her limp form into the air, aiming to separate her head from her body when she came down.

Before the moment of impact...there was a flash of fire.

* * *

 **New Chapter! Once again a little canon focused until the end there. I know I kind of retread over Natsu and Weiss' backstory, but I mostly did that just to inform Yang and Blake. Also had to rework the action scenes to make them a little tighter. Those are always hard to write.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	25. Forceful Intrusion

The sound of a sword swinging echoed in the darkness of a dormitory at Beacon Academy. The blade cut into the air, opening a red and black portal inside the room. Energy warping and distorting the atmosphere, a lone figure stepped forth from the dimensional doorway.

Her feathered black tresses lightly waved as the portal closed behind her, a woman whose face was obscured by a large white and red Grimm mask scanned the room. Among the students calling this room home, the stranger's red eyes fell upon a snoring boy with pink hair. She approached him carefully, her hand reaching into the red-girdle belt wrapped around her waist.

When she was next to his bed, the boy's nose twitched. His eyes shot open.

"Who-"

She quickly silenced him by pressing her hand against his mouth. She heard him swallow the pill she had been keeping in her palm, but kept his mouth covered. She knew how loud he could be if given the chance to speak for even a moment.

"The pill you just swallowed temporarily eliminates motion sickness for. You're friends are in danger."

The boy's eyes narrowed in suspicion. It was clear that he didn't believe her. Not that she blamed him. Not only had she broken into his room unannounced, she had also lost the right to his trust long ago. Even so she remain stern.

When the mysterious woman gripped the hilt of her odachi, the scabbard started to rotate. After a second or so it stopped and she slowly revealed her weapon – its blade now red. In one quick motion she cut into the air, creating another portal like the one she arrived in. She then sheathed her weapon and removed her hand from the boy's mouth.

"Whether you choose to believe my words or not is up to you. Your friends will be on the other side of this portal. If you wish to save them, then follow."

She jumped in. After few seconds she heard someone else follow her.

* * *

Weiss opened her eyes slowly. Her head was throbbing, and her entire body ached. Last thing she remembered was being slammed into the floor by the Lieutenant. Then everything went black.

"What...happened?"

"You were supposed to let me know when you were in trouble."

Weiss craned her neck upward at the voice, coming face to face with her brother. He smiled. She blinked rapidly to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but this was not a hallucination. Her brother really was holding her.

"Natsu?! What are you-how are you here? We're on a moving train going over one hundred miles an hour! How are you even able to stand?!"

"We're on a train? Wow that pill must have really worked after all."

"What pill?"

"I'll tell you later." Natsu placed Weiss down on a nearby crate. "You rest. I got this." He walked to the Lieutenant.

"Natsu, wait-"

Weiss tried to follow, but she was still weak from the battle from earlier and her knees buckled as soon as she stood up. She was forced to sit back down on the crate.

"Natsu…"

Natsu smiled at his sister. "Don't worry. I can handle this guy."

The pinkette cracked his knuckles and stood before the somewhat confused White Fang Lieutenant. When the man recognized Natsu he started to laugh menacingly.

"The boss has been looking for you."

Natsu gave no response. The man revved his chainsaw.

"I'll cut your head off and wrap it as a gift!"

He charged.

"Natsu, look out!" his sister shouted.

The Lieutenant brought down his weapon. He hit something hard, but not what he was expecting.

"What the-"

Natsu looked under his left gauntlet as the chainsaw grinded against it. He equipped Black Summer just before the man swung. The pinkette parried the blade and hit the man in the face. The Lieutenant flew into the back door of the car with a hard thud. Natsu clenched his fist, exhaust expelling from the vents of his gauntlets.

"Get up. I'm not even fully awake yet."

* * *

Neopolitan was forced back with two large swings of a sword. Just as she was about finish Yang Xiao Long for good, someone intervened.

When the mute assassin got a good look at her mysterious assailant she felt a chill reverberate throughout her body. Her blood ran cold, her seemingly eternal smirk was replaced with a frightened frown, and her normally two-tone eyes both turned white as her pupils shrank.

When the woman unsheathed her red-bladed odachi, Neopolitan knew this was a battle that she could not win. Whoever this woman was, she was absurdly powerful. In fear Neopolitan took two steps back and jumped into the air. In a bright flash she disappeared into the ether.

The threat now neutralized, the masked woman lowered her blade and looked over to the still unconscious Yang. Though her mask hid her facial expressions, she felt a mix of guilt and shame while observing the young blonde. Swiftly she opened a portal to an unknown destination.

As she sheathed her weapon, she slowly stepped back towards the portal, her eyes never leaving Yang. She finally turned around when she was close enough.

 _It is in your hands now, Natsu._

Unbeknownst to the woman, Yang started to stir. Her eyes half-open, she awakened just in time to see the woman blink away into the portal.

"Who…was that? Where did that other girl go?"

Yang felt a throbbing in her head when she made it to her feet. Realizing she had no time to dwell on the mystery, she quickly set out to join her friends.

* * *

Blake contemplated what to do as she stood over the defeated Torchwick. Once again her thoughts went to killing him. She knew in her heart that was not the answer, but she also knew that she couldn't just leave him to his own devices either. Doing that is what partially led to this situation in the first place. Before she could come to a firm decision, the cargo doors opened and in soared the White Fang Lieutenant.

Blake ducked. He passed over her and hit the wall with a quaking slam, he then slid next to Torchwick on the ground. When Blake took a good look at him, she noted that he had taken quite a beating. His mask was broken along the jaw - revealing his bleeding lips - and the rest of his body was covered in bruises and even a few burn marks.

"Did Weiss really do all of this?"

"She had some help."

Blake was surprised when she saw Natsu step through the still open door along with her teammate.

"When did you get here?"

"Well it's kind of a long story-"

"Which we do not have time to explain." Weiss interrupted. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for Yang."

"Guys!"

As if on cue the blonde ran through the door.

"There she is." Natsu commented with a point of his thumb.

"Is everyone all right? Where's Torchwick?" her question was answered when she saw the criminal - as well as the White Fang Lieutenant - unconscious next to Blake. "Oh. Mission accomplished then. Guess we can go up now."

"Up? Like on top of the train 'up'?" Natsu pointed to the ceiling and gulped. His face was starting to turn white.

"Duh, where else would we-wait...Natsu?! When did you get here?"

"I've been here the entire time."

* * *

Ruby and Doctor Oobleck still had their hands full on top of the train with the second Paladin. After what felt like an endless struggle of violence, Oobleck jumped over the mech. The two finally prevailed when the Doctor and Ruby shot it's legs from opposite sides. The mech soared into the air and landed on the tracks below like its predecessor.

"You go on ahead!" The Doctor ordered.

"But-"

"Don't worry. It's past time I teach them a lesson." Oobleck started for the end of the train, encountering two more Paladins along the way.

Just before Ruby could leave, she noticed the worried look in Zwei's eyes. She knew exactly what he was begging for.

"Go."

The dog's ears perked up and he ran off to join Oobleck in battle. Ruby headed to the front of train and was soon joined by her team and Natsu.

"Natsu? When did you-"

"No time for that now." his sister cut in. "Look." She pointed the group's attention to the front of the train. It was fast approaching the closed doors that lead into the main city of Vale at the end of the track.

"What do we do?" Blake implored. If they hit the door at this speed not only would the train be destroyed, but they would most assuredly die.

Weiss and Ruby gave each other knowing nods. They had a plan. The heiress stabbed Myrtenaster into the top of the train car they were on, and encased herself and her friends in a dome of ice.

"This will protect us, right?" Yang warily asked as knocked on the dome.

"Yeah!" her sister piped up. "…I think. Right, Weiss? Please say I'm right."

"Of course you're right…I think."

"Uh…guys."

The girls looked to Natsu. His face was green, now green and his stomach's gurgling was so loud that everyone could hear it.

"I think whatever got rid of my motion sickness…" he stifled a minor burp. "It's starting to wear off."

"Hold it!" the girls shouted in fear.

That next moment the train collided with the steel doors. There was a thunderous explosion and everything went white.

When his vision was restored, the first thing Natsu saw was Team RWBY spread out around him. His ears were still ringing from the crash but everyone looked ok and that was what mattered. Upon taking stock in his surroundings, Natsu realized that they were in the middle of town - or to be more precise, the city park. Once more they were surrounded by frightened onlookers. Natsu's ears finally stopped ringing due to Tinnitus; only for the noise to be replaced with the blaring of the city's emergency siren.

There was a rumbling underground. A black King Taijitu broke out of the rubble, bringing with it numerous Beowolves, Death Stalkers, Ursai, and various other Grimm into the city. The citizens ran away in terror. It was an invasion!

* * *

Cinder stood at the edge of the courtyard of Beacon Acadmey. Looking out, she could hear the sirens ringing in the air, as well as see the smoke billowing from the city. She, Mercury, and Emerald had been searching for Natsu since daybreak. Normally she wouldn't have minded if the pinkette was unaccounted for, but the circumstances surrounding his disappearance concerned her.

There was no forced entry or exit. As well as nothing – save Natsu – being taken from the room. If anyone at the school were onto her plans, why only take Natsu and not one of her subordinates? Why not abduct Cinder herself? There were too many questions and for the first time Cinder found herself...worried. _Where are you, Natsu?_

"What is that?"

Emerald and Mercury rejoined Cinder. The sirens continued to wail.

"Did you find him?"

"No, ma'am."

"What's going on out there?" Mercury pointed to the city.

"You don't think-" Emerald gasped.

"Starting to look like it."

"But that's days away."

"What do we do?"

Cinder thought about their next move. Whatever was going was something she hadn't accounted for, but it had to be dealt with.

* * *

Natsu and Team RWBY were surrounded on all sides by Grimm as they stood on the stage in the park.

"How many of them are there?" Natsu questioned.

"A lot." Answered Blake.

"Any ideas on how to get out of this mess?" Weiss requested.

"Just keep hitting them until they stop breathing." Offered Yang.

Ruby cocked Crescent Rose. "Works for me."

Natsu readied Black Summer. "Let's get started."

The Grimm attacked.

Ruby was the first to jump from the stage. Sticking her scythe blade into the ground, she ran in a circle and kicked away a group of Beowolves circling her.

Yang launched herself into air using one of the Grimm. Firing more shots from Ember Celica while airborne, she was beset by Nevermores and sent plummeting back to earth. Natsu caught her before she hit the ground.

"My hero." She teased, poking his nose.

The pinkette rolled his eyes and set her down. After blasting away a group of Ursa they separated for opposite ends of the battlefield.

Blake and Weiss defended the stage. Blake shot down advancing Creeps with Gambol Shroud, while Weiss swatted a group of Beowolves away with a giant summoned sword.

Natsu created a fireball and threw it into a few of the Death Stalkers following him. One of the beast's tails penetrated the flames. Natsu quickly caught appendage, ripping off the stinger once he got a good grip. He stuck it into the beast's head, finishing it off. When an Ursa Major charged at him next, Natsu punched a hole in it's chest. When he stepped back and removed his arm, the monster faded away. Natsu engulfed his hand in flames. When looked to the group of Grimm before him her grinned in anticipation.

"I'm all fired up."

Elsewhere, Yang punched a car into a group of Beowolves and Creeps, Blake used her doubles to get the surprise on a Death Stalker, and Weiss froze a score of Boarbatusks before shattering them.

All over Natsu and his friends were trying to quell the infestation of Grimm, but they could on do so much with their numbers so thin.

Ruby knocked away a Beowolf only to come face to face with the King Taijitu that lead the Grimm into the city. Just as the snake started to strike, Ruby heard a loud bang. She looked up.

Sailing through the air on Magnhild was the ever-excited Nora Valkyrie. With a smile and a shout, the chestnut-haired maiden bashed her hammer into the King Taijitu's head, killing it instantly. After she landed on the ground she was joined by the rest of Team JNPR.

"Let's go!"

At Pyrrha's order Ren and Nora charged, much to the chagrin of their **ACTUAL** leader, Jaune. With JNPR in the fray, Ruby noticed that things were finally starting to look up.

"Pyrrha!"

Natsu ran to the redhead. They stood back to back upon being surrounded by Beowolves and Creeps.

"What happened here?"

Natsu shrugged. "Weiss told me that Torchwick was planning to bring a whole bunch of weapons into the city using some subway tunnel, but we stopped him...kind of. Along the way these Grimm must have showed up."

Pyrrha noticed the dust and scratches on the pinkette's body. Clearly he and the others had been fighting long before her team showed up. "Are you ok?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I live for this stuff." Natsu looked around at all of the snarling monsters and smirked. The adrenaline was pumping again. "We haven't fought together since the Initiation Trial."

Pyrrha grinned. "I know. Though that wasn't extreme as this."

"Bet I can kill more monsters than you."

"Oh? I'll take that wager."

"Alright, loser has to do one thing the winner says on our date. No questions asked."

Natsu dashed into the throng of monsters, leaving behind a flustered Pyrrha.

"Wh-what?!"

Natsu knocked out a Beowolf with a stiff punch.

"That's one! If you don't hurry up I'm gonna win!"

Pyrrha composed herself and charged.

In the park, Jaune – somewhat hesitantly - ran into the battlefield with his sword and shield at the ready.

"Alright! Who's first?!"

An Ursa Major – similar in size to the one he faced last semester – rose to meet his challenge. The blonde immediately regretted his bravado.

"Ok. So you're first. That's fine." Jaune slowly stepped back. The Grimm followed. "Alright, Jaune. Just calm down. You've done this before. Totally fine. You're totally fine." Jaune stopped walking, took a deep breath, and raised his sword.

With a roar he attacked the monster, his fright-filled flurry of strikes hitting the Ursa one after another. The beast had no room to counter. When Jaune finished, the Ursa toppled over dead. Pyrrha – who was now tailing two kills behind Natsu – watched the battle and smiled as Jaune sighed in relief. He had certainly grown.

Not long after, Sun and Neptune arrived on the scene. Standing at the top of the stairs before Jaune, flashed their plastic detective badges to the masses. Nobody seemed to notice...or care.

"Nobody move! Junior Detectives!"

"We have badges! So you know it's official!"

As they joined the fight they heard the Atlesian Military's aircrafts soaring overhead. The airships dropped hundreds of AK-200s into the city. The robots quickly helped turned the tide of the battle once more in favor of the students.

"Stupid, military, glory hog, tin cans." Natsu pulled his cannons out of the chest of a Nevermore. "That's fifty. No way Pyrrha is gonna beat me now."

As Natsu said this, he was blitzed by a gang of Creeps. Before he could react a few of the monsters were shot by what appeared to be green bullets.

"What the-"

"You really should pay more attention to what's going on around you. Might cost you your head."

Natsu turned around and saw that his savior was in fact, Emerald. Pistols in hand she shot down more Beowolves advancing.

"When did you guys get here?"

"Not too long ago. We spent almost all morning looking for you."

Natsu scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry I worried you guys."

"It's fine."

"Where are Cinder and Mercury?"

Emerald continued firing at the Grimm ahead of them. "Back that way. I'll cover you."

"You don't need help?"

Emerald smirked. "Please. I've dealt with rats worse than these things."

"If you say so." Natsu took off.

When he was gone Emerald changed her pistols into kusarigama and charged the Grimm. She whipped the blades around on the chain, cutting into the monsters with stunning accuracy and viciousness. She jumped over the Ursa Major leading the pack. Her blade placed against the beast's neck, Emerald yanked the chain, separating the Ursa's head from it's shoulders.

Natsu met up with Cinder not long after leaving Emerald.

"Leader, I am pleased that you're all right. I hope you had a nice trip."

"I know you're mad, but I have a reason for-"

"No need. I'm only teasing. Your safety is all that matters at this point. I assume you know the reason why these Grimm have invaded the city."

"Yeah. That Torchwick guy caused it."

"He is quite the troublesome fellow."

The two were approached by a pair of Deathstalkers and Nevermores

Cinder pulled down her gloves over her hands. "Shall we?"

Natsu nodded. "Let's go."

Another airship arrived, bringing with it Team CFVY and Professor Port. The supposed "strongest" team in Beacon Academy and the Professor leapt from the ship and into the fray. Yatsuhashi cleared the area around him with a slamming of his sword into the ground, while Fox and Velvet defeated a number of charging Grimm with only hand-to-hand combat.

An Ursa Major broke free from the pack and made a beeline for the group. Fox stepped forward.

He cut into the beast with his tonfa before knocking sending into the air with an uppercut. When it came down, The crimson-haired focused his energy into a strike that caused a shockwave throughout the monster's body. When it landed back near it's pack, it's body expanded like a balloon and burst, spreading it's spikes all around. Some impaling the Grimm around it.

Some shot towards Team CFVY, but Coco deftly swatted them away with her bag.

"Nice hustle, Fox."

He nodded and jumped back to the team, allowing Coco to approach a giant Beowolf unafraid. She looked over the rim of her glasses, her normally laid back expression an angry one.

"You destroyed my favorite clothing store. Time to die."

The monster roared. Coco shut it up with a hit to the chin with her bag. Neck she kicked its groin. When the creature doubled over, Coco slammed her bag on the top of its head to finish it. When more Grimm charged – three Beowolves and a Death Stalker to be exact – the stylish student knocked a of them few away before retreating.

Velvet ran to join Coco, her hand on the gold and brown box affixed to her hip. When Coco saw this she held out her hand to stop Velvet.

"You've spent all semester saving that up. Don't waste it here."

While disappointed, Velvet accepted her leader's words and took a step back. Coco stepped to face the Grimm again, this time her bag changing into her Gatling gun. She fired, shooting the Grimm on the ground – as well as a few Nevermore flying in the sky – to pieces.

"Let's keep moving."

The rest of Team CFVY nodded and headed out after their leader.

Zwei and Doctor Oobleck met with Professor Port further in the city. The teachers acknowledged one another before firing their weapons into a charging Grimm horde. Not to be outdone, a noticeably furious Glynda Goodwitch quickly dispatched of the monsters in her path before using her telekinesis to repair the damage done by the train.

Once the hole was repaired and the final Grimm were dealt with, all of the students met in the park. A military transport ship landed near them awaiting a captured Torchwick - who the Schnee siblings had tied up and froze before the train crashed.

"Oh goodness you caught me." Torchwick said lazily. "I see now how wrong I was." As he was handed over to the military by Mercury and Emerald, everyone patted themselves on the back for a job well done. The battle was finally over.

Natsu walked over to Pyrrha with a confident grin.

"How many did you get? I got one-hundred and thirty."

Pyrrha sighed in defeat. "One-hundred and twenty-three."

Natsu beamed. "I win!"

Even though she lost, Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at Natsu's excitement. "Congratulations. You bested me."

"Don't thank me yet. Just wait until later. I got something **huge** planned."

The redhead blushed. "Y-you do?" she was starting to get anxious. _He already knows what he wants me to do?_

Natsu smiled wide. "Yep! Just wait and see!" He then left to join his team.

"What was that about?" Jaune asked. He looked to Pyrrha. "You guys make a bet or something?"

She nodded. "Y-yes. We did. The loser has to do whatever the winner says."

"Well that is certainly not ominous." Ren sarcastically stated.

"Yeah. I wonder what Natsu's gonna make her do." Jaune said.

Nora let loose an impish grin when she saw the redhead fidget. She then gave her a thumbs up.

Pyrrha blushed harder.

* * *

Team RWBY, Natsu, and Zwei sat on edge of the main landing pad of the school; watching as the Atlesian fleet glided over the crystal clear waters separating Beacon Academy from Vale. It had been a long couple of days, but now they finally had a chance to unwind. Natsu wanted his team to join them, but they apparently had other things to deal with.

"We did it." Yang said.

Blake echoed her words. "We did it."

"If we don't get extra credit for this I will be really disappointed." Said Weiss.

"Yeah." Natsu chirped. "I want free food and A's for a year. I had to ride that rolling death trap and I'm pretty sure my neck hurts from the crash. I deserve a reward."

"But we didn't solve everything." Ruby reminded her friends. "A lot of people were hurt, and we still don't know who did this, or who that mystery girl was."

Natsu found himself thinking again. Ruby was right. A lot of things were still up in the air. Torchwick was obviously working for someone, but there weren't nearly enough pieces to make the full puzzle.

"Not every story has a neat and tidy ending." He heard his sister say.

"We may not have the answers…" Blake started. "But we **have** put a lot of dangerous people behind bars. I think that accounts for something."

"Yeah." Ruby smiled. "Your're right. Think positive. Also if anyone tries something like this again we'll be ready."

Her sister laid back. "Yeah. Teamwork. Comradery." she said lethargically. "Good job. So what now?"

"I'd suggest training for the tournament, but that seems moot at this point." Weiss said.

"So…sleep?" suggested Ruby. Her team agreed and stood up to leave. "Coming, Natsu?"

"Nah. You guys go ahead. I think I'll stay out here a little longer."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

Natsu waved. "See ya."

"Don't stay out too late." His sister called.

Natsu leaned back and closed his eyes once the girls were gone. He was still worried about a few things: the mysterious woman who brought him to the train, the criminal who broke into the CCT, and just who was pulling Torchwick strings. All of these questions were still unanswered, but for now Natsu was going to enjoy the setting sun let tomorrow's troubles wait until then. Just as he settled he felt something wet hit his face. When he opened his eyes he saw Zwei panting next to him. With a smile he sat up and pet the dog.

"You wanna stay out too?"

Zwei wagged his tail and answered the pinkette with a affrimative bark.

"All right then." Natsu laid back, closing his eyes once more. "Take a load off."

Zwei barked again and circled around a couple of times before laying down next to Natsu.

* * *

Ozpin was having trouble keeping his focus. The incident in the city certainly rattled him – as it should have – but the more pressing matter as hand was the response of the high ranking individuals within the kingdom. As such here he was, back to his desk while engaged in a meeting with three of the kingdom's councilman on his holo-screen, as well as General Ironwood.

"We have no choice!" one of the councilors said. "We cannot broadcast the Vytal festival, much less host it if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens! Therefore, we've spoken with the Atlas council and have decided that the best course of action is to appoint General Ironwood as Head of Security for the event."

"Thank you, Councilor." General Ironwood's screen grew bigger when he spoke. "You can rest assured that I will make sure this event moves as safely and as smoothly as possible."

"And we thank you, General."

"Will that be all?" Ozpin was starting to lose his patience with the entire affair.

"For now…but once this festival concludes we will have a serious discussion about your position at Beacon Academy. General Ironwood's reports over these last few weeks have left us…concerned. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course."

The councilman ended the call, leaving only Ozpin and Ironwood.

"Believe me, Ozpin, this is the right call. You can trust me to keep our people safe."

The headmaster remained silent when the call ended.

On his end, Ironwood stared out at Ozpin's office through his ship's window once the call concluded. "You brought this on yourself." He walked over to a pod being guarded by two soldiers, when the door opened Roman Torchwick was revealed to be inside. "Leave us."

The guards saluted their general and left the area, leaving the two alone.

"I've been told that you've refused to cooperate with the authorities." Ironwood reported.

"This may surprise you, General, but I'm not exactly a fan of local law enforcement."

"Then how do you feel about the world's strongest military power?"

Torchwick looked around his cramped cell. "Not really leaving much of a good first impression I must say. Too drab and boring."

Ironwood was through playing games. His tone turned serious. "One chance. Who is the mastermind behind this? Who do you work for?"

"Is it not obvious? You're looking right at him. Criminal entrepreneur. I'm my own boss."

Ironwood smiled wryly. "I see." He walked away.

"What's wrong, General? I thought you wanted to talk things out?"

"The council's given me full custody of you so I suggest you make yourself comfortable. We'll have plenty of time to…talk. I can promise you that 'Mr. Entrepreneur'."

Torchwick chuckled to himself. "Wonderful. See you soon."

His cell door closed.

* * *

"All things considered, I'd consider today a success."

Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury stood atop one of the buildings overlooking the battlefield from earlier. Cinder was fairly calm, about the entire incident. However, Emerald wasn't as composed.

"Those stupid kids really made a mess of things, and of course Natsu was right in the middle of it. Was it really wise to fight with him?"

"There's no need to worry about. I was keeping up appearances. We are supposed to be a team after all. Also I never used my weapons or my abilities, only my hands during the battle. I wouldn't want to spoil him too much before the big surprise." Cinder grinned and thought of the pinkette. _He's getting stronger by the day. Just how far will he go I wonder._

Mercury looked to the street. "A lot of Faunus didn't make it out of those tunnels." he informed his leader. "You think the White Fang will still listen to us?"

"No."

A man approached the group. His blood-red hair was spike up, with traces of brown in the back. He wore a white mask that covered the top half of his face and on the back of his black suit jacket was red rose over a white ornate pattern. He tightly gripped the long sword in his hand.

"But they will listen to me."

* * *

Yang walked through the school courtyard. The sky above was pitch-black. There wasn't even a star in the sky. Something called out to Yang in her sleep, and as if on instinct she decided to follow the voice. As she approached the statue at the end of the path, she was slightly surprised to see the masked woman from the train.

Yang had been curious about her ever since the incident. Just who was this woman? Why was she on the on the train? And why did she feel so...familiar? Now was the chance to get some answers.

"Who are you?" the blonde demanded.

Slowly the woman removed her mask, finally revealing her face. She looked almost identical to Yang – if a couple of years older. Her eyes were also red, like Yang when activated her Semblance. As if in response to the woman, Yang's eyes turned red as well.

"Yang…" the woman said. "We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Natsu tossed and turned in his bed. All at once his mind was bombarded with distorted and fragmented images of things he had never seen before: flying monsters, children, a man with black hair, and two women. One with blonde hair and the other black. Theses images felt like memories, but Natsu couldn't clearly make out any of them. It was like they were buried. Desperately crawling to the surface to be set free. The pain was unbearable. Natsu clutched his head tight and uttered in his sleep.

A woman with long black hair and a small smile on her face flashed in his head.

"Raven…"

The image of the woman soon faded into one of a huge creature with with red scales, claws, and wings.

"Ig...neel..."

* * *

 **This chapter marks the end of Vol. 2 hope you guys liked it. I know I cut out the fight with the Lieutenant, but I thought it was best not to overload the chapter with too many fight scenes since this also had the big battle in the city. I also put more hints as to Natsu's memories since I hadn't done that in a while. Next chapter will be a filler before I head into Vol. 3.**

 **As always leave a reveiw/comment letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**

 **Next Time: Natsu and Pyrrha's Date!**


	26. Show Me Who You Are

As the sun set on Vale's Central Park, a large crowd had formed around the stage. Citizens and tourists had gathered from all over the city, for a very special event was about to take place.

Pyrrha Nikos removed her jacket and gently placed it on the corner of the stage. Across from her, Natsu Schnee rolled up his pants until they reached his knees. He then started to stretch out his legs.

"If you had mentioned earlier that this was part of the day's activities, I would have dressed more appropriately."

"It wouldn't be as fun if you saw it coming."

"I suppose not."

Natsu looked around at the crowd. "Where did all of these people come from. It's kind of annoying."

Pyrrha chuckled. "Well it's not every day that they see two of the top combat students in Beacon have an exhibition match. Especially when the tournament is right around the corner. Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are."

The two reached into their lockers and grabbed their weapons.

"Ready…"

"Go!"

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos had been standing in front of the "From Dust Till Dawn" shop for the past thirty minutes, or maybe it was twenty. She'd lost count. The breeze whisking by gave the warrior maiden a shiver. It was surprisingly cooler than what was expected of an autumn morning, and according to the forecast it would only get colder.

She looked at her watch then sulked in disappointment. It was only 12:30. "I arrived too early."

After things settled down from the Grimm attack a few days prior, Natsu and Pyrrha were finally able to go over the details of their date. They agreed to meet at the shop Pyrrha was currently in front of at one o'clock, but the redhead was so nervous about her first ever date…that she arrived an hour early.

 _I should at least use this time to make sure I look presentable._

Pyrrha faced the shop window and looked over her outfit. Gone were her long boots, armored corset, tiara, and choker. They were replaced by a navy blue and white polka dot skirt, black ankle boots, black leggings, a cream colored shirt where the sleeves stopped just below her elbows, and a ruby necklace that hung around her neck. Even her hair had changed; her characteristic ponytail having been done away with for long wavy tresses that fluttered in the breeze.

Everything about Pyrrha Nikos screamed different. According to Nora – who had deemed herself Pyrrha's "personal stylist" for the occasion – this new look was guaranteed to make heads turn. While it had indeed done just that – she had been complimented and whistled at much more than she would have liked – Pyrrha still couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

This entire scenario was completely alien to her. She had never really thought much of romance until she met Natsu, and even then she didn't completely know how to approach it. She knew she was confident enough to say that she had romantic interest in the pinkette, but anything further both embarrassed and confused her.

 _What does one exactly do on a date?_ She pondered. Eating at restaurants was common activity. They would be visiting the restaurant Natsu had been telling her about for past couple of months, but was that all they would do?

Some people – according to Nora – would see a movie afterwards, but what if Natsu didn't wanna do that? What if he hated the movies? Would they just stay at the restaurant until night fall? There was also the matter of their bet. She still had no idea what Natsu would tell her to do.

 _Will this outfit really be good enough? What if he doesn't like it?_

The more Pyrrha thought about what was in store for her, the more nervous she got.

"Hey. You're early."

The redhead practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of Natsu's voice. She was so focused on herself she didn't notice his approach at all.

"You ok?" Natsu's voice illustarted his worry. "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"Y-yes. I'm fine." Pyrrha smiled to try and improve the mood. It only made her more nervous.

When Pyrrha turned to face her date she noticed that he looked different as well. While his trademark scarf was still around his neck, he traded in his vest for a red and white shirt that read "Straight Fire", jeans, and brown shoes. He also wore a black sports jacket. Pyrrha envied his foresight.

"You look good." Natsu complimented with a smile and a blush.

Pyrrha's face heated up as well. "T-thank you. As do you."

"We should head to the restaurant before the crowds gets too big."

"O-of course. Lead the way."

Natsu started down the street and Pyrrha followed. When he noticed her lagging behind, he slowed his pace so they could walk side by side. While hesitant at first, Pyrrha quickly adapted and started to relax. Natsu noticed her slightly shivering next to him.

"Cold?"

"No. I'm fine." Pyrrha reassured. She was much too embarrassed to admit she'd forgotten a jacket. "I just didn't expect it to be this cool so early in the autumn season." As she giggled at her own misfortune she felt a hefty piece of leather wrap around her body. When she looked to Natsu he was smiling, but his coat was gone. He had placed it on her.

"Don't you need this?" Pyrrha's question was sincere, but the slight tightening of her grip on the left sleeve of the jacket showed that part of her didn't want to let go of it just yet.

"Nah. I don't really get cold. You can have it." Natsu answered.

Pyrrha smiled softy. After properly putting on the jacket, she caught a whiff of it's scent. As expected it smelled just like Natsu.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

As the pair walked further into downtown, seven individuals poked their heads out from a nearby alleyway:

"Smooth."

An impressed Jaune Arc.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting him to give up the jacket."

A surprised Yang Xiao Long.

"Of course. Why do you think I gave it to him in the first place? It was the perfect plan. Now if he can keep this momentum going, everything will be fine."

A proud Weiss Schnee.

"Don't worry about it. I have a feeling this date will go off without a hitch!"

An excited Nora Valkyrie.

"Perhaps it's best we don't follow them around. Aren't dates supposed to be private affairs?"

An apprehensive Lie Ren.

"Yeah. We shouldn't be spying on them."

A slightly uncomfortable Blake Belladonna.

"I'm bored. Can we go do something else now?"

Lastly, a lethargic Ruby Rose rounded out the group. Zwei barked next to her.

"No." Weiss denied. "We have to make sure that this date goes exactly how it is supposed to. Now come on. If we don't hurry they'll get away."

The group closely followed after their friends.

* * *

Pyrrha had yet to touch her meal. She simply sat in awe as Natsu sat before her scarfing down the plates of food between them. It was quite the sight to behold, if a little unsettling. It was like watching a human vacuum cleaner at work.

The restaurant Natsu had taken her to was surprisingly extravagant despite being in one of the more dreary parts of town. The ceiling was clear enough for her to see herself while also being decorated with ornate chandeliers, the floors were smooth marble tile, the walls were made of a beautiful wood that shined in the light, and she could smell the sweet scents of apple and cinnamon lingering in the air. When Pyrrha looked up the spiral staircase near their table she saw people – much more elegantly dressed than she and Natsu – enjoying their meals.

Natsu looked up from his plate for the first time since he started eating. "You ok?"

"FineI was simply admiring how elegant the restaurant is. It sort of makes me feel self-conscious."

Natsu looked around briefly but didn't find himself as mesmerized as his date. "I guess it is pretty fancy."

"I don't mean to be rude, but how are you able to come to a place like this?"

Natsu smiled proudly and stuck out his chest. "I stopped a burglar stealing money and the owner was so grateful that he said I could eat here whenever I want at a discount. The foods practically free if I bring a friend."

"Oh…" Pyrrha felt a little uneasy. "So you only brought me here to get a discount."

"What? No that's not it. I brought you here because the food is good and I thought you'd like it." He smiled wide. "The discount is just a bonus."

Pyrrha smiled at his assurance. She then grabbed her fork. "Well then I certainly can't let this food go to waste."

Outside of the restaurant Teams RWBY and JNPR watched the two from the bushes.

"Man, just how much can that guy eat?" Yang wondered, watching Natsu finish what would be his twelfth plate of food.

"That's nothing." Weiss said. "He once cleaned out our entire kitchen in one day. The staff was furious."

"At least Pyrrha looks like she's having fun." Jaune pointed out.

The group watched the redhead smile and laugh as Natsu talked. Apparently he was telling some sort of story.

"What are they saying?" Weiss wondered. "I wish we could hear them."

"Oh I know!" Nora grabbed Ren and pulled him to the front of the group. "Ren's just the man for the job! He's great at reading lips!"

The dark-haired boy groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Don't be shy! Go on!" Nora pushed Ren further up. He sighed in irritation.

 _Might as well get this over with._ He looked to the couple and stared, his eyes darting back and forth as he intently watched the movement of their lips.

"Well?" Weiss prompted. "What are they saying?"

"Natsu seems to be telling a story about the time you ran into his room during a thunderstorm when you were children."

Everyone looked to the heiress for confirmation.

"T-that happened a long time ago!" Weiss defended. "I was barely a pre-teen!"

"According to Natsu it was fairly recent."

Weiss' face flushed red.

"I was wondering where you ran off too that night." Yang remebered. "I thought you just had to use the bathroom."

"Don't worry, Weiss." Ruby reassured. "I get scared during thunderstorms too."

Blake nodded in agreement. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Zwei barked. Apparently he agreed with Blake and Ruby.

"This isn't about me!" the heiress shouted.

"They're leaving."

Everyone stopped harassing Weiss and looked out from the bushes. Just as Ren reported, Natsu and Pyrrha were exiting the restaurant.

"We have to hurry!"

Weiss was the first to bolt from the bushes, her friends quickly following behind.

* * *

Natsu and Pyrrha sat on a bench near the center of town, both of them enjoying the ice cream they had just gotten from a nearby stall.

"This is very good." Pyrrha smiled. She had gotten raspberry. "I'm sorry that you had to go out of your way to buy it."

"It's fine." Natsu waved off, he had gotten three scoops on his cone to Pyrrha's one: strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. "It's not like it cost that much."

"I still feel the need to apologize. For this and you having to buy lunch as well."

"I said it was fine, didn't I? But if you feel that bad about it how about the next time we go out, you pay." Natsu suggested with a smile.

Pyrrha blushed. She didn't even think about the possibility of a second date. She smiled softly and nodded in confirmation.

"O-ok. I will."

The pair finished their impromptu dessert and started down the street again. After walking a couple of blocks, Pyrrha asked Natsu a question.

"Are they still following us?"

The pinkette looked over his shoulder as they walked, and momentarily saw their friends leap into an alleyway. He sighed.

"Yeah."

Pyrrha chuckled. "It's sort of amusing that they think we don't notice them."

"I wish they'd just give up already. I hate being followed."

Pyrrha thought to herself for a moment. While she did find her friend's antics slightly endearing, she had to agree with Natsu. It was a bit irritating – as well as embarrassing - for them to be following her and Natsu around for what supposed to be a one on one date. Thinking of a way to get some privacy, Pyrrha was struck with a bolt of inspiration. She suddenly grabbed Natsu by the wrist.

"I have an idea."

"Wait! Wha-"

Pyrrha yanked Natsu into the nearest alleyway, alarming their pursuers.

"The targets are getting away!" Nora shouted.

"After them!" Weiss ordered.

The group rushed into the alley Natsu and Pyrrha dove into, but upon arriving they saw their path blocked by a wall of trash cans.

"Where did this come from?" Yang asked.

"Pyrrha must have her semblance." Jaune surmised.

"I guess we lost them." Ruby shrugged. She was more than happy that this game of cats and mice was over.

Ren sighed. "I said from the beginning that we shouldn't have been following them around. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew we were following them the whole time."

"Impossible!" Weiss denied. "Our shadowing was perfect."

"Except for that time you yelled at Ruby for needing to use the bathroom." Yang reminded.

"Or when Nora sneezed and cracked that store window." Jaune added.

"Or when Jaune, Yang, and Ruby stopped to ice cream right after Natsu and Pyrrha." Ren finished.

"But it was so good." Ruby whined.

"Ok I get!" Weiss yelled. "Our surveillance skills leave a lot to be desired."

"I'm surprised they didn't spot us sooner." Blake said. "The sun's going down. We should head back to the school. I'm sure they'll tell us what happened tomorrow."

"Fine." Weiss huffed in disappointment. "Let's head back."

As the group's footsteps faded out of the alley, Natsu and Pyrrha stood on the other side of the wall. The former had his ear pressed against the trash cans so he could hear their conversation.

"Well?" Pyrrha prompted.

"They're gone." Natsu sighed with relief. "We finally lost them. That was pretty cool how you moved all those trash cans over here."

"It didn't take much maneuvering." Pyrrha smiled. "The hardest part was setting them up. Speaking of which, perhaps I should move them back."

"Nah. It'll be fine. Let's go do something else."

Pyrrha nodded. "Ok."

* * *

Natsu and Pyrrha sat down on the edge of the stage in central park. The spot they had chosen didn't have many buildings in the way, giving them both a perfect view of the sunset.

"I had fun today." Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Natsu returned. "I had fun too. You know when I first met you I thought you were kind of stuck up and full of yourself."

The redhead looked to her date. "Why is that?"

"You had this reputation of being this really strong warrior. No one could beat you. Some of the strongest kids in Mistral fell at your feet, but you always looked bored afterwards. It was like you didn't really care about your opponents. That really pissed me off. So I thought to myself that if I ever met you I would challenge you to a fight and take you down a peg."

"So that is why said that you would 'kick my butt' on the day we met." Pyrrha joked, but inside she was slightly saddened. She had no idea Natsu had those kind of thoughts about her. It wasn't that she didn't care about her opponents, she just became a different person on the battlefield. She was told to show no mercy to anyone. That one wrong move could be her last. That kind of mentality along with how she carried herself distanced her from other people.

"Yeah, but during the Initiation I realized how wrong I was." Natsu rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Now I feel like a jerk for thinking that stuff."

"It's alright." Pyrrha smiled softly. "You are not the first person to think those things about me. In a way it's my own fault. I've always wanted to appear more approachable to people, but my accolades and accomplishments made that hard. I guess you could say that no one felt 'good enough' for me. Friend or..." she blushed. "Otherwise. But thanks to the friends I've made here at Beacon I can express myself more freely. I don't feel like I'm on an island anymore."

Natsu smiled. "That's good. Honestly, before Beacon I didn't have many friends either. Most people stayed away from me either because of who my family was or because I was too destructive. I guess they were scared of me or something." Natsu smiled wryly.

"I don't think you're scary at all." Pyrrha said. When Natsu looked to her, she was smiling warmly. He couldn't look at her long. He turned his head after a few seconds.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The two shared a brief moment of silence as the sun continued to set. After a little while Pyrrha spoke again.

"Are you ready for the tournament?"

"Yeah." Natsu said confidently. "I've been waiting for it all year. I get to show everyone what I've got. Plus there's a bunch of strong people in it that I want to fight."

"Oh? Like who?"

"Hmm…Sun is one guy I really wanna fight. Yang, Blake, pretty much anyone on Team CFVY, and Nora would be a pretty fun to fight. What about you? Anyone you itching to mix it up with?"

Pyrrha took a minute to think. "To be honest I never really thought much about it. I've always been a fighter, but I wouldn't say I enjoy it that much. It's just something that I've always done."

"Really? But you're really good at it. Seriously you're like one of the best fighters I've ever seen."

Pyrrha blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, but I feel that's all there is to me at times."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember during winter vacation when I told you I couldn't ice skate?" Natsu nodded. "That's not the only thing I have trouble with: I'm not a very good cook, I can be quite clumsy at times, and…" she started to fidget. "I'm not very good at expressing how I really feel. Honestly the only two things I feel I excel at are fighting and schoolwork."

"Nope." Natsu said plainly.

Pyrrha raised her brow in confusion. "Nope?"

"Yep. Nope. You're good at plenty of stuff. You're great at teaching, you go out of your way to help people, and you can stack a mean set of trash cans."

Pyrrha giggled. "I don't think that last one is much of a compliment, Natsu."

"I'm serious."

Pyrrha stopped laughing and looked to the pinkette. His gaze was now piercing, and his lips were in a tight line. It was like he was looking directly into her soul. The redhead's heart started to beat faster.

"You're really awesome, Pyrrha." Natsu said. "I mean it. "You're smart, you're kind to everybody you meet, you stick up for people when you see them in trouble, and…" he looked away.

"And?" Pyrrha was on the edge of her seat awaiting Natsu's final compliment. She leaned in, not realizing that her hand was on top of his.

"You're really pretty…"

Pyrrha smiled and clutched Natsu's hand tighter in hers. "Thank you."

"Yeah..." Natsu faced Pyrrha. The realization of how close they were to each other started to set in. The moment overtook them and without realizing it they slowly came closer, their lips parting and their breaths mixing in the air. Just as things started to take shape, the call of a bird in the tree broke the pair's immersion. Embarrassment setting in, they quickly separated.

"I'm so sorry!" Pyrrha apologized. "I don't know what came over me!" Her face matched her hair. _I can't believe that I...that I almost kissed him! What am I thinking?! It's way too early for something like that! ...Isn't it?_

"D-don't sweat it!" Natsu nervously waved off. "It's no big deal." His heart racing, Natsu looked to the sun to try and get his mind off of what just happened. Suddenly he got an idea. "Pyrrha.

"Yes?"

"Fight me."

The redhead was caught unaware by the spontaneous request. "I'm sorry?" She watched Natsu stand up.

"Fight me." He repeated, this time with more force.

"Ok, but why?"

"We had a bet remember? You have to do whatever I say, and I'm saying I want you to fight me."

"I understand that, but why now all of sudden?"

"You said fighting is the only thing you're good at, right?" Natsu pressed a button on his scroll and his rocket locker flew to their location. "I wanna see if that's really true."

Pyrrha looked into Natsu's eyes once more. Gone was the tentativeness and embarrassment they had each felt earlier. He was completely serious now. While she didn't quite understand his reasoning, Pyrrha agreed to his terms and grabbed her scroll.

"Very well."

* * *

The crowd roared as the students clashed on the stage. The sun had gone down some time ago, but no one looked eager to leave. Natsu and Pyrrha also showed no signs of slowing down.

Natsu's fist whizzed by Pyrrha's head. She drove her shield into her abdomen to push him back, then pursued him.

When Natsu stamped his foot into the ground, the stage rocked and Pyrrha lost her balance. Falling to her back she saw Natsu descending from the sky. She rolled away just before he landed, avoiding his kick, and just as quickly making it to her feet. She looked over her shield to her opponent and switched the grip on her sword. The metallic taste of blood repulsed her tongue, but she remained focused. She would not carelessly forfeit this fight.

Natsu accelerated towards her.

Teams RWBY and JNPR pushed to the front of the crowd. After they were ditched by Natsu and Pyrrha they returned to the dormitory, but news of the battle quickly spread, and they soon found themselves back in the city watching with the other spectators.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"Pyrrha Nikos is fighting some guy on the stage." One of the bystanders answered.

"Who is she fighting?" Jaune inquired.

"Some kid with pink hair. He's been doing really good so far. I think he might actually beat her."

"Pink hair?"

The students looked at one another. After a few seconds they came to the same realization.

"Natsu!"

When they looked to the stage they saw the two battling with everything they had.

"Why are they fighting?!" Weiss shrieked. "They were supposed to be on a date!"

"Maybe Natsu made her mad or something." Yang speculated.

"Knowing him that wouldn't be too unlikely." Blake said. Everyone else nodded in agreement. Weiss was unamused.

"Natsu! Stop this meaningless fighting this instant!" She tried to get on the stage but was pulled back by Ruby. "What are you doing, Ruby?! Unhand me right now, you-"

"Look." Ruby pointed to the fight and smiled. "Can't you see? They're having fun."

"Fun?" Weiss looked back to the stage. Natsu and Pyrrha stood face to face with their weapons pushing for position. When she saw their expressions her eyes widened. "They're…smiling?"

"It seems this is the way they can truly understand each other." Ren spoke up. "Some people can only do that by testing each other's strength."

"I've never been in a fight like this before." Yang grinned. "Makes me kind of jealous."

"They really are going at it." Blake said.

"I don't think I've ever seen Pyrrha fight so hard." Jaune noted.

"Isn't love grand?" Nora swooned.

Ontop of a building not far from the battle, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald watched with piqued interest.

Mercury whistled. "Look at them go. This is kinda awesome."

"What do you expect? Those two are supposed to be among the school's strongest. Surprised they couldn't wait until the tournament though."

While Mercury and Emerald were impressed with the display, Cinder was feeling a different emotion. While part of her acknowledged the strength of both Natsu and Pyrrha, she also felt something tugging in the pit of her stomach. A sort of angry feeling that she hadn't felt before that only increased the longer she watched them.

"Cinder?" Emerald called, noticing her slightly twisted features. "Is something wrong?"

"I'ts nothing." Cinder forcefully replied. She turned around and started to walk away. "We've wasted enough time here. We still have a lot to do to prepare."

Mercury and Emerald exchanged puzzled looks - Mercury adding in a confused shrug - before following after their leader.

* * *

High in the night skies an Atlesian vessel soared overhead, monitoring the city cameras for any disturbances.

"Commander, we have activity in sector D."

"Pull it up on screen."

The soldier typed on their keyboard and soon a feed showing the fight between Natsu and Pyrrha showed up on the screen in the ship's cabin.

"It appears two students are fighting in central park. Shall we intervene?"

The commander of the vessel looked at the screen closely. When she saw Natsu, she grinned.

"No. They aren't causing a disturbance. Leave them be for now. Continue monitoring the other sectors for suspicious activity."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Natsu and Pyrrha walked just a few paces behind their friends when they exited the airship. After around three hours Pyrrha managed to point her javelin at Natsu's neck, but the pinkette's cannons were aimed directly at her face. Unable to use her semblance to move them without sacrificing her advantage, the two decided to end the fight with a draw. This disappointed some of the spectators, but others were satisfied. Thinking that they would see definite winner if the two were matched together in the upcoming tournament.

Pyrrha learned more about Natsu and herself during that fight than she thought she would. In truth it wasn't that she disliked fighting, it had just been a while since she truly enjoyed it. Every other fight she had been in was because she was thrust into it. Battle was expected of her, and while she initially fought Natsu because of their bet, she also did it because part of her really wanted to.

Since Natsu's desire to fight her was made clear, Pyrrha started to feel that as well. To her joy the fight was everything she imagined. Natsu was wild, powerful, and just unorthodox enough for her to second guess her actions. She had to be careful. She had to think. It had been a while since she had been in a fight so taxing, but she loved every second of it.

"That was an awesome fight."

Pyrrha looked to Natsu. As usual he was smiling and full of energy. It was like they just hadn't had such a brutal battle a few minutes prior.

"It was." She agreed. "Did you find out what you needed?"

"More or less." The two slowly closed the gap between them and Natsu reached for Pyrrha's hand. When she gave it to him, he intertwined his fingers with hers. "We should have a rematch sometime."

"We'll have to see if we're paired during the tournament."

"What if we're not?"

Pyrrha tightened her grip on Natsu's hand just a little. The warmth from Natsu's hand started to spread throughout her body. She rested her head on his shoulder, prompting them both to blush.

"Then I will fight you again. Whenever you want."

"It's a date." Natsu smiled.

* * *

 **New chapter! Didn't really know how to approach this one. i didn't want to make it an regular boring date, but in the end it seems it sort of went that route. Tried expand a bit more on Pyrrha's character with just a couple of headcanons. Hopefully that worked out.**

 **Well next up is the official start of Vol. 3. So I'll see you there!**

 **As always leave a comment/reveiw letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	27. Tournament A Go-Go

"Got everything?"

"Yes."

"Except this." Natsu handed Weiss Myrtenaster with a grin.

"Oh! How could I forget? Thank you." she took her weapon from her brother.

"Welcome. Where is everybody?"

Weiss put on her boots. "Yang and Blake are waiting at the arena, and Ruby should be returning from Patch any minute now."

"Patch? That's her home right? Why did she go there?"

"To visit her mother's grave."

"...Oh."

"What about your team? Where are they?"

"Cinder told me they'd be waiting at the arena."

Natsu completed his weapon check and changed Black Summer into its glove forms. Weiss secured Myrtenaster in the holster against her waist.

It was time. The Vytal Festival tournament had finally come, and Natsu could barely hold in his excitement.

"I can't wait to get in there and cut loose!" He shouted excitedly with an ignited his fist. "Team CMSN's gonna beat everyone!"

"I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you." His sister proudly argued. "Team RWBY is not to be taken lightly."

"Yeah I know. You guys are among the ones I wanna fight the most."

Weiss looked to her brother, and smiled. For a little while it seemed that he had lost some of his luster, but for the first time since before the hospital his smile seemed genuine and she was glad. "Be careful out there, Big Brother. Good luck."

"You too, little sis." Natsu held out his fist and Weiss bumped it. "Let's go."

* * *

"Welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament!"

High above the skies of Vale, the crowd inside the Amity Colosseum reached a fever pitch. It was the first battle of the first day of the tournament, and things were sure to get more heated from there.

In the announcer's booth, Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck explained the rules to anyone just tuning in via holo-vision screen.

"The rules are as follows."

"The tournament is divided into three distinct rounds: Teams, Doubles, and finally Singles. Age and school year are of no importance. The only thing being tested, is skill."

"That's correct, Doctor. The winners of the team round elect two of their members to the doubles round, from there those two choose who amongst them will reach the singles round. There they will fight with other competitors in a final bracket to achieve victory for both their team, and their kingdom!"

"Precisely, Peter! These are some spectacular spectacles on which to speculate on, and have no doubt that anyone watching will agree with me on that!"

"Why wouldn't they? Now let's return to the match between Team RWBY of Beacon and Team ABRN of Haven. Already in progress."

The cheers from the crowd continued to thunder in the ear drums of the fighters below, even so a few voices stood out.

"Let's go, Team RWBY!" Natsu shouted. "Take'em out!"

"That's right in my ear." Mercury groaned.

"Do you really have to be so loud?" Emerald complained.

"Don't be mean, you two." Cinder said. "He can't help but get excited. His sister is down there after all. "

Reese Chloris of ABRN sped through the ice field on her hoverboard in search of her opponents. The battlefields on the stadium floor were divided into randomized biomes before battle started to give an added element of unpredictability. The tournament was not only a competition, but also a learning experience for those involved. In the field it was crucial to be able to move in all types of terrain.

For the battle between Teams RWBY and ABRN, the biomes chosen were lava and ice.

Finding a lone Blake Belladonna, Reese smirked. She kicked her board to the unsuspecting Faunus.

"Kitty, behind you!" Natsu shouted.

Blake deflected the board back to its owner, her face red from embarrassment. _I keep telling him not to call me that in public!_ When Blake saw Reese punch the board back her way she deflected it again and charged.

She slashed Gambol Shroud against the board numerous times, but Blake still couldn't get through. With one narrow swipe Reese pushed back the Faunus and gained some distance. She landed on her board.

Blake watched carefully as Reese raced to her. _Gotcha._ She created an ice clone.

Unable to change direction so suddenly, the turquoise-haired surfer crashed, and Blake sliced her board in two while in mid-air.

"Nice!" Natsu priased.

As Reese soared through the air, the pieces of her board changed into twin pistols. She fired, but when she landed her momentum carried and fell to her bottom on the ice with a hard thud. The crowd cringed at the sound.

"She won't be sitting down for a while." Mercury winced.

In the lava half of the field, Yang was engaged in a fierce fight with Arslan Atlan - the leader of Team ABRN. Like Yang she was a notable hand to hand fighter and heralded as one of the strongest fighters in Haven. When the pair's fists clashed a shockwave spread throughout the battlefield.

Arslan avoided Yang's kick and from her long sleeve slithered a rope dart. She wrapped it around Yang's ankle and yanked the blonde off her feet. While she was suspended Arslan kicked Yang into the ice. As the blonde recovered Arslan knocked her back down. Yang slid on the ice. Right into the crosshairs of Arslan's teammate Nadir Shiko.

The pink-haired boy prepared to fire his rifle, but soon found his shot gun out of his hands and his legs encased in ice. Courtesy of a couple of shots from Ruby Rose.

"Got your back, sis!"

"Yeah, but whose got yours?"

Ruby looked over her shoulder and saw Bolin Hori behind her with his staff prepared to strike. Just then a black glyph appeared and a kick from Weiss Schnee sent him into the lava field.

"My bff!" Ruby exclaimed.

"No." Weiss chased down Bolin.

"Yes." Ruby whispered before following after.

"He should have paid more attention to his surroundings instead of trying to act cool." Emerald said from the stands.

"Don't let up!" Natsu coached.

Bolin saw a white glyph appear before him when he stood up. Weiss struck like the wind, using the glyph to propel herself through the air at frightening speed. Another glyph appeared behind her, this one launching Ruby into the air.

The leader of Team RWBY came down hard, slamming her scythe into Bolin's staff. The force shook the ground beneath them. Ruby clicked her teeth and with one shot from her scythe, she was sent flipping back to Weiss.

Bolin charged, avoiding ice shards summoned by the heiress as well as a slash from her leader. He reached an orange dust stalagmite and broke off a piece. He threw it to a revived Reese, who bashed it into her board. Her weapon's light changed from turquoise to orange.

Blake was cautious about attacking, but Reese used this opportunity to ride over and melt the ice holding Nadir's feet before pouncing on Blake with her board through an ice berg. Blake recovered and avoided Reese's next attack. The cat-faunus ran away, using her ribbon to swinging around another ice berg.

Reese followed and saw Blake standing alone near the edge of the stage. She sped up, but upon attacking Blake disappeared in a haze and Reese was hung up on Gambol Shroud's ribbon. The real Blake kicked her out of the arena and to the floor.

"Double whammy!" Professor Port yelled. "Reese Chloris is eliminated by both knock out and aura!"

"She should have really worn a helmet." Doctor Oobleck noted.

On the screen above a display of both teams' members as well as their Aura levels was shown to the crowd. When Reese's bar dropped to thirteen percent, her picture was marked out.

In the arena Arslan swung around the ice. Yang gave chase. Not far from them, Weiss was stuck battling both Bolin and Nadir.

Using her gravity glyph to crash Bolin into his partner, Natsu's sister used another glyph to trap the two inside a large boulder of ice.

"Atta girl, Weiss!" her brother shouted.

Arslan saw her teammate's predicament and rolled her eyes in frustration. She stopped in the boulder's path and stomped her foot into the ice. With one thrust from her palm the boulder shattered, freeing her friends.

"Impressive." Cinder complimented.

"Yang!" When the blonde looked her way Weiss created a slope of ice. "Now!"

Yang nodded and propelled herself along the slope with shots from Ember Celica. On the ground Blake threw her Gambol Shroud and the two were running side by side as the Faunus held onto the ribbon. When Yang catapulted from the end of the slope, Ruby threw Blake into the air after her.

Team ABRN watched Blake sling Yang towards them. The blonde landed an explosive punch that sent all three crashing into a large rock. Their aura levels dropped to zero.

"That's the match! The winner is: Team RWBY!" Port announced.

"Yeah!" Natsu cheered.

"Kinda surprised they pulled that one off." Mercury said slightly impressed.

"Me too." Emerald nodded.

"I had no doubts." Cinder grinned.

Natsu stood up from his seat. "I'm gonna go congratulate them. You guys coming?"

"Count me in." Mercury stood up, as did Emerald.

"I could use a quick bite."

"What about you, Cinder?" Natsu asked.

"No. I'm fine for now. Have fun."

"Alright, I'll bring you something back."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Let's go, guys."

* * *

"Is anyone else hungry?" All of Ruby's energy from the fight was gone, having been replaced with the intense pain of hunger. A loud rumbling from Blake's stomach suggested that she was feeling the same.

"I…may have worked up an appetite….too."

"Let's see, where can we get something to eat? If only there was someplace on campus that had food. Oh wait…"

The fact that Team RWBY stood in the middle of the Fairgrounds made Weiss' sarcasm was all the more impactful. All around them were stalls serving various foods and hosting a number of festival games for people either participating in the tournament, watching it in the colosseum, or just wanting to enjoy the festival atmosphere.

Ruby placed a hand on the heiress' shoulder. "Don't worry, Weiss. I forget about the fairgrounds too."

"I was being facetious."

"Well if you were hungry why didn't you say so?!"

"I said facetious not famished-"Weiss was interrupted with a gentle touch of her shoulder by Yang.

"It's not worth it. Come on. I know just the place to chow down."

The others followed the blonde, but Weiss stopped when her scroll started to ring. Thinking it was her brother, she quickly grabbed it only to discover – much to her disappointment – that it was actually her father calling her. _Again?_ Weiss ignored the call and followed her friends.

For the past few days her father had been trying to get into contact with her. Calls to her scroll, emails, letters, Weiss denied them all. She'd thought he had gotten the hint by now, but clearly her father proved stubborn.

As they approached the stall Yang was referring to, Team RWBY heard a familiar shout.

"Hey! Might be hard to eat without this!"

The girls turned around, seeing Natsu and Emerald standing behind them. Emerald – who had called out them – was holding out what appeared to be someone's wallet. Ruby's eyes widened and she patted herself down in a panic. The wallet in Emerald's possession was indeed hers.

"Good to see you, Ruby." Emerald handed the wallet over to the girl with a chuckle.

"Thanks, Emerald. I guess I dropped it. Girl pockets are the worst!"

"What's up, guys." Natsu greeted.

"Hey, you two." Yang returned. "What's going on?"

"We just left the stadium after watching your fight." Emerald said.

"You guys were awesome! Your fight got me all fired up!" Natsu shouted.

"Oh stop it. You don't really mean that. Shut your stupid face." Ruby fidgeted like an excited puppy at the pinkette's compliment.

"You guys have a fight coming up pretty soon right?" Blake asked.

"You should be getting ready instead of lounging around down here." Weiss advised – mostly to her brother.

"It'll be fine." Natsu waved off. "We've got plenty of time. We just stopped by to say hi."

"You guys want to join our victory food celebration?" Ruby asked. Natsu raised his hand.

"Count me in!"

"You ate before we got to the stadium." Weiss reminded.

"That was like…two hours ago."

"You're eating right now!"

Natsu bit into the turkey leg in his hand. "This is just a snack."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"I'll pass this time." Emerald politely declined. "Rain check?"

"Sure." Ruby nodded.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Blake asked.

"Cinder's still in the stadium." Natsu answered. "And Mercury…"

Natsu looked over his shoulder to one of the stands selling boots. Mercury was there perusing over which pair to buy…he also sniffed the insides of them.

"Yeah…" Emerald trailed off. "Not really the social type that one."

"I can see that." Yang agreed.

"So which of you are going to the doubles round?"

"Yeah." Natsu nodded. "I wanna know too."

Ruby stood proudly. "Well as leader of this team I thought long and hard about this and decided-"

"We put it to a vote." Weiss interrupted. Ruby pouted.

"It was my idea to put it to a vote."

"We went with Weiss and Yang." Blake revealed.

The heiress curtsied. "It will be my honor to represent Team RWBY."

Yang voiced her acceptance with a determined glare and a smashing of her fists. "We're gonna kick some butt!"

"Well if you two are going, then I'm definitely fighting in the next round." Natsu proclaimed.

"You gotta win first." Yang teased.

"You don't have to worry about that. There's not a team in this whole tournament that can beat us."

"Except Team RWBY."

"Really? You go wanna go right now?" Natsu approached Yang, his hungry grin enticing the blonde.

"Just say the word, bubblegum head."

"Alright, you two save it for the tournament."

Weiss forced herself between the two and pushed them apart. Emerald laughed.

"Our leader wants us to win, so don't think the rest of us will go easy on ya."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Yang returned.

"Well Mercury and I are gonna head back and catch some more fights. Don't take too long, Natsu."

"I won't."

"Have fun!" Ruby shouted.

"See you later."

With a wave Emerald walked away. When she reached Mercury, her smile turned into a disgusted grimace.

"So how are the new 'friends'?"

Emerald narrowed her eyes. "I hate them."

"Orders are orders."

"It's just…how can they be so happy all the time?! It's maddening. And Natsu's the worst one! I don't know what Cinder sees in him!"

"Did you get what we wanted or not?"

"Yeah. Natsu's sister and the bimbo."

"Alright. At least we know who we're working with."

* * *

Natsu and Team RWBY sat themselves at the Noodle Hut stall. The elderly owner awaited their orders. Yang was fist.

"I'll have the regular please."

With a speed astonishing for a man his age the stall owner zipped to kitchen, returning with a large bowl of noodles for the blonde a few seconds later. Ruby salivated at the sight.

"Same for me."

A large bowl was thrown to her as well.

"Do you have anything with low salt-"

Weiss' request was interrupted when she received the same meal as Ruby and Yang. When it was Blake's turn she and the owner exchanged a secretive glance and a short nod. When he returned from the kitchen this time, he placed before the Faunus a bowl filled with raw Tuna fish. The sight was so beautiful that Blake could only gasp in awe. Her eyes sparkled and her mouth hung open in anticipation.

Natsu stared perplexed at his friend's meals.

"You're not getting anything, Natsu?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." He looked to the shop owner. "You got anything bigger than this?"

The man nodded and went to the kitchen. After about a minute he emerged with a bowl almost as big as his body. He dropped it before the pinkette, the loud thud shaking the stall. Natsu was unimpressed.

"I guess this is ok."

"Here you go, good sir." Weiss presented the stall owner with her personalized Schnee Dust Company credit card. It glistened in the sunlight, as if to show off just how rich and important the heiress was.

"What's the occasion?" Yang asked. The heiress never pulled out her card unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Consider it a thank you for sending me to the doubles round." Weiss' confidence was swiftly shattered when the stall owner slung her card into the counter. Confused the heiress looked to the register. In bright red letters the screen on the register said "DECLINED". "What?! How could my card be declined? I barely dipped into my monthly allowance."

Fearing the worst, Blake slowly inched her food from the counter. Her plan failed when the elderly man took away her bowl. She flopped desperately onto the counter. She hadn't even eaten of the food yet. "No…"she uttered.

"Don't worry, Kitty. I got it."

Natsu grabbed his own credit card and threw it to the shopkeeper. When the man swiped it, the card went through he returned the fish to an overjoyed Blake.

"You're a lifesaver, Natsu!"

"Yeah, thanks." Yang smiled.

"Sorry you had to pay." Ruby apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Just think of it as a reward for winning the fight."

"I don't understand." Weiss muttered. "How come your card worked and mine didn't?"

"Maybe it was glitch with the bank or something."

"Maybe…" Weiss had the sneaking suspicion that their father had something to do with her lack of funds, but she couldn't tell Natsu that. She still hadn't told him that their father had been trying to contact her. If he found out that he was possibly responsible for freezing her account, there was no telling what the pinkette would do.

"Looks good. Mind if we join you?"

Team JNPR arrived at the stall with smiles on their faces.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Yang greeted.

"Nothing much. Just thought we'd congratulate you all on your fight." Jaune said.

"Pyrrha!"

The redhead looked over to Natsu. He was waving at her with a smile on his face and a mouthful of noodles. She blushed.

"Don't just stand around. Go over there." Nora nudged her friend and Pyrrha started moving. The redhead walked over and sat next to her boyfriend.

"H-hello, Natsu. How are you?"

"Pretty good. Wish this bowl was bigger though. I could finish this in like five minutes." He rolled some noodles onto his fork and held them to Pyrrha. "Want some? It's pretty good."

"T-that's ok. You don't have to do that." Pyrrha declined. If Natsu fed her in front of everyone she would die of embarrassment.

"Come on." He inched the fork closer to he. "Open wide."

After a few seconds, Pyrrha's defenses finally fell. "O-ok." She hesitantly opened her mouth and the fork entered. When Natsu slid it out clean Pyrrha chewed on the noodles. Her eyes widened when she swallowed. "That was quite delicious."

Natsu smiled. "Told you."

"Get a room, you two." Yang teased.

Pyrrha blushed again, but Natsu looked confused.

"Why would we do that?"

Team JNPR ordered the same meal as their friends and they all feasted. Once they were all done, each looked satisfied at their meal. Except for Jaune, who barely finished, and Natsu, who was still hungry.

"Is it wise for you to be eating before your fight?" Ren asked the pinkette.

"Why not?"

"You needn't worry about him." Weiss said. "I can almost guarantee that as soon as we start walking he'll be hungry again."

"I'm still hungry now."

Jaune flopped his head on the counter. "If I barf I'm blaming you." He said to Nora.

"Oh, aim it at the enemy!"

"Nora, that's disgusting." Ren chided. "…but if you feel the urge."

"Oh I almost forgot. You guys won your fight too right?" Ruby asked.

"We did." Pyrrha nodded. "It was hard fought battle but we made it to the second round."

"Who are your doubles?" Blake asked.

"Myself and Jaune."

"I told her to pick Nora or Ren, but she insisted I go." Jaune grumbled.

"Don't say that like it's a bad thing."

"Yeah." Natsu chimed in. "You've been training this whole time. You've gotten way better since you firs started. You don't scream nearly as loud when fighting Grimm anymore."

"Gee. Thanks for the compliment." The blonde mumbled into the counter.

"At least the rest of you are confident." Ruby giggled.

"Of course we are." Nora proclaimed. "We've got a world-class fighter, Ren's basically a ninja, I can bench five of me, and Jaune…we've trained all year. Our weapons are awesome! Professor Goodwitch hardly yells at us anymore, and…Jaune!"

Ren looked to their leader. "Nothing?"

"She's not wrong." he muttered.

"I'm kidding! He knows I'm kidding! Don't be so nervous! The worst that could happen is you lose." Nora's pep started to die down the more she spoke. "Then it's just a few more years of us walking around the school as failures.

Our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status. We won't be able to show our faces in class. No one will sit with us in the cafeteria. Ren and I have no parents, and no home to go to. We'll officially be named Team Loser!" Nora slammed her head into the counter, her panicked sobs slowly dying out.

It was astonishing - and a little unsettling - to all how quick she went from manic to depressive.

"So yeah. No pressure." Ren said.

"Don't fret." Pyrrha assured her team. "If anything we can at least be thankful that the fights here have actual guidelines and we don't have to deal with…well…murderers."

"Those fights were kind of fun though." Natsu argued.

"You guys don't need to worry. You already made it past the first round. Besides we've faced way worse." Ruby said

"Grimm invasion, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath…" Blake listed.

"Vehicles." Natsu added.

"That's not an enemy, Natsu." Weiss argued.

"It is for me."

"Can you imagine the stuff we'll face when we graduate?!" Ruby squealed. "I can't wait!"

"Maybe then I can pay for a meal." Weiss grumbled.

The speakers screeched and out came the voices of Professor Port.

"Attention, Everyone! The next battle in the tournament is starting in 15 minutes. I repeat the next battle is starting in 15 minutes. Thank you."

"I think Sun and Neptune are fighting next." Ruby said.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Yang asked. "Let's go watch."

* * *

Natsu made his way through the crowd until he reached his team sitting across the arena from his friends. He took a seat next to Cinder. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a chocolate candy bar, and handed it to Cinder.

"Here you go. I didn't know what kind of food you liked so I got this. I hope that's ok."

"It's perfect." Cinder smiled. "Chocolate is my favorite."

"Great. I miss anything?"

"No. You're just in time. The match is about to start."

Mercury and Emerald sat in front of them. The former offered his bucket of popcorn to the pinkette. Natsu obliged and grabbed a handful.

"Thanks."

"I wonder why Natsu's team is sitting all the way on the other side." Ruby said. Her sister shrugged.

"Beats me. Maybe they get a nicer view over there or something."

"After that amazing display from Team CFVY our next bout should have Vacuo fans on the edge of their seats!" Oobleck commentated.

"While Team NDGO of Shade is certainly a crowd favorite, these femme fatales will certainly have their hands full when they battle the toughest, most testosterone-filled team we've seen so far!" Professor Port said. "Of course I'm no doubt talking about: Team SSSN! Sun Wukong and his team are a forced to be reckoned with for sure, but even though he's fighting for Haven Academy I'm sure his friends and family back in Vacuo are cheering him on as well."

Sun and his team walked to the center of the arena amidst the applause of their fangirls.

"Good luck, Neptune!" Weiss shouted.

When the bluenette finished waving, he finally took stock of his opponents. They were each stunningly beautiful. From their leader Nebula Violette's alluring smile, to Dew Gayl's unaffected gaze, to Gwen Darcy's sweet face, and finally Octavia Ember's beautiful scarlet hair. Each girl brought something to the table, and Neptune wanted to try it all.

With his smoothest grin and most playful wink, he pointed to them. "Ladies."

"Break his stupid face, NDGO!" Weiss yelled from the stands.

"Yeah! Kick his ass!" her brother shouted from the opposite end of the stadium.

"Just remember, girls." Neptune said. "Hands above the waist."

"Ignore him." Sun said. "He's…" he looked over his friend to try and find the right word to say. "He's just dumb."

Neptune winked at the girls. They weren't pleased.

The biome roulette started to go. The half behind Team NDGO stopped on desert. From the edge rose a sandy area with plateaus and an artificial sun hovering overhead.

"Nice. Home field advantage." Nebula said.

"Don't get cocky." Sun warned. "That's my home turf too."

"Aw man." Scarlet David complained. "I'm gonna get sand in my shoes."

"Be cool, man." Neptune whispered to his teammate. Just then the roulette behind them stopped.

"Hey, look! The ocean!" Dew pointed. Neptune spun around, his heart racing in fear when he looked at the emblem for the ocean field.

"What's wrong with him?" Ruby asked. Blake facepalmed.

"Oh no."

"What?" Yang asked.

"Neptune's…afraid of the water."

Natsu started to laugh. Thanks to his enhanced hearing he heard Blake's words among the chatter of the crowd. "He's afraid of water?!" he nearly fell out of his seat.

"How lame is that?" Mercury chuckled.

"Yeah that is kind of sad." Emerald fought back her urge to laugh.

"The irony is astounding." Cinder said.

Neptune froze on the spot. When Sun poked him he wouldn't budge.

"3! 2! 1! Begin!"

As soon as the battle started Neptune zipped past Team NDGO and ascended the desert field plateau behind them.

"Neptune, what are you doing?!" His teammate – a dark-skinned young man with green hair named Sage Ayana - yelled.

"Oh you know! Just getting to higher ground!"

"On the enemies side?!" Sun questioned.

"They'd never expect it!"

"…Well he's not wrong." Dew pointed out.

"Attack!" At Nebula's order Team NDGO charged the grounded members of Team SSSN.

As Natsu watched the battle, he started to feel a tingling down below. He shot up from his seat. "I gotta take a leak."

"You don't have to announce it." Emerald sneered. "Just go."

"Don't take too long." Cinder smiled. "Our match is after this one."

"Right. Be back in a bit." Natsu raced to the bathroom. When he was done relieving himself he washed his hands and stepped out. Entering the tunnel to the seats, he spotted Pyrrha.

"Hey. You had to go to the bathroom too?" he smiled.

"Y-yes." The redhead nodded. "It's kind of embarrassing to say out loud."

"Why? Everybody uses the bathroom."

"Yes, but it's not really proper etiquette for a lady to announce it like that."

Natsu thought about Pyrrha's words. He remembered Weiss telling him the same thing before, but he also recalled numerous times wherein both Ruby and Yang announced to the world that they had to use the restroom. _Girls are weird._ He thought. "We should head back inside. The fight might be over by now." Natsu started for the stadium entrance. Pyrrha grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

"What's up?"

"Well…" the redhead blushed. "I was wondering…would you like to walk the Fairgrounds with me for a little while?" She looked to him with hopeful eyes. Natsu answered with a smile and a nod.

"Yeah. Sure."

* * *

Natsu and Pyrrha strolled through the Fairgrounds. Since there was a fight currently going on things were relatively quiet. Not many people were around, but the couple didn't mind. In fact Pyrrha preferred it this way.

 _Boyfriend._ It was still an embarrassing word for her to say out loud. Even thinking it made her cheeks match her hair. Nonetheless that's what Natsu Schnee was to her now.

Natsu himself didn't really think much of the title of boyfriend or girlfriend. He knew it was important, but he didn't make a big deal out of it if someone asked him. When Nora casually asked him if he and Pyrrha were dating during lunch a few days ago, his response was a simple "Yeah."

The news came as shock to their friends – even Pyrrha was nervous – but Natsu carried on eating like nothing had happened. It was as if the concept was as normal as breathing. As long as he knew he cared about Pyrrha he didn't really care what they called each other. That's just how laid-back – or as his sister would say "air-headed" – he was.

The two came upon a cotton candy stall.

"Want one?" Natsu offered.

"Yes. Thank you."

The two approached the counter and ordered their food. As the stall owner readied it, they watched the holo-screen floating in the corner. As expected it was showing the tournament. It was three on two, advantage NDGO.

"They look like they're in trouble." Pyrrha said.

"They can handle it. Sun's pretty strong and Neptune is alright…I guess."

Pyrrha chuckled when she saw her boyfriend's sneer after saying Neptune's name.

"What?"

"Nothing. Nothing." She stopped laughing, but kept smiling. "It's just…is Neptune really that bad? I find him rather harmless."

Natsu sighed. "Yeah I know. I don't have anything against the guy. He seems pretty cool. It's just…"

"Weiss?"

"…Yeah."

The vendor handed the pair their cotton candy. Once Natsu paid they continued on.

"I was an only child, but I think I may have some sort of idea what you are going through. She is your sister, and you do not want to see her hurt."

"Pretty much."

Pyrrha smiled. "You're a good older brother."

"You think so?"

"I know so. You'll make a great father someday."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Father?"

Pyrrha realized what she said and quickly widened the gap between herself and her boyfriend. "I-I didn't mean now! I-I meant in the future! You know! I-I was just...just making an observation. I-I didn't mean that w-we should have children now…or ever if you don't want to! Oh what am I saying?!"

Natsu started to laugh. "You're pretty weird, Pyrrha."

"I am?" His words didn't exactly fill her with confidence.

"Yeah, but I like that about you." he smiled wide.

The redhead's smile started to return. "I see." She stepped back to Natsu's side. "I like your...weirdness as well."

"I know. Besides It's not like I could be worse a dad than my old man. He wasn't really around a lot since he had to run the company, but even when he was home he wasn't the greatest guy to talk to or be around. "

"Well if it's any consolation I think you are already headed on a better path."

"Thanks." Natsu saw a game stall further down the path. "Look! A shooting game! Come on! I'll win you something!"

Pyrrha was taken aback. No one had ever offered to win her a prize before. "I-It's ok. Please. You don't have to go out of your way to do something like that. You've already paid for the cotton candy."

"So? It's not out of my way. That's what a boyfriend does right?"

Pyrrha flushed red. Before she could answer an announcement came over the intercom. The first voice belonged to Professor Port.

"Will Natsu Schnee please report to the colosseum?"

The second was a rather irritated Doctor Oobleck.

"Your team has been waiting on you…for the past ten minutes!"

Natsu's eyes went wide. "Crap! I forgot my fight was next!"

Pyrrha gasped. "Oh my! I'm so sorry! If I had known I wouldn't have asked you to come here."

"Nah It was fun. We should do it again. I promise I'll win you something next time. I'm gonna take off, you coming?"

"I'll be there in a little while. Don't let me slow you down."

"Alright then I'm off." Natsu began running when he heard Pyrrha call out to him.

"Good luck, Natsu! Fight well!"

He turned around and gave her a thumbs up. "Right! See you in the finals!"

* * *

Natsu ran onto arena floor with an apologetic grin on his lips.

"Sorry. I lost track of time."

"Just how long were you on the toilet?" Mercury asked.

"I wasn't-"

"Please don't answer that." Emerald advised.

"Agreed." Cinder said. "What matters is you're here now."

"Yeah." He looked across the floor to their opponents. Three guys and one girl. "Who's that?"

"Team BRNZ." Cinder answered. "They are from Shade."

"From the looks of it the guys are close range fighters." Emerald reported. "The weapon the girl has is probably some sort of rifle. My guess is she picks people off with while the guys engage in close quarters."

"What's the plan?" Mercury asked.

Natsu slammed his gauntlets together and smirked. "Hit them hard and fast. We'll handle the hand to hand guys, and Emerald can take out the sniper."

"Sounds like an appropriate strategy." Cinder nodded.

"Careful." The mint-haired thief teased with a grin. "That almost sounded smart."

As Natsu talked to his team, his friends from Teams RWBY and JNPR watched from the stands.

"Looks he wasn't too late." Ruby said.

"Thankfully." Weiss sighed with relief. "He could have been disqualified. Just what was he doing all of this time?"

"I'm kind of excited for this." Yang smiled. "I've never seen Natsu's team fight before."

"Me either." Blake nodded. "They're always so secretive."

"Weiss said she saw them train a couple of times." Ruby revealed. "Do you know anything about them?"

"I don't." The heiress denied. "Every time I visited it was either routine sparring or meditation. When I asked Natsu about his team's fighting strategy he said: 'It's a secret.'. He can be so annoying sometimes."

"Aww. Is wittle sister cwanky that big bwother won't tell her his secwet?" Yang cooed. Ruby and Blake snickered at Weiss' expense. The heiress looked away in a huff.

"I'm not cranky. I'm irritated."

"That's the same thing." Blake stated flatly.

"Where's Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, looking around for the redhead.

"I think she's still in the bathroom." Ren pointed.

"Wow. She must have really had to go." Nora said. Just then the redhead in question arrived.

"I apologize for being late. Has the fight started yet?"

"Nope. You're just in time." Jaune said.

"Oh. Good." Pyrrha took the seat next to him.

"Now that all the combatants are present and accounted for, we can begin the roulette." As Professor Port said this, the biome display started to spin.

"Got get'em, Team CMSN!" Ruby cheered.

"We're rooting for you!" Blake said. "Fight well!"

"You better not lose, bubblegum head!" Yang shouted.

"Be careful!" Weiss warned.

"Best of luck!" Ren yelled.

"Show them what Beacon is all about!" Jaune called.

"Knock'em dead, Natsu!" Nora shouted. "But not literally, that's illegal! Do it for Pyrrha!"

The redhead instantly covered her teammate's mouth, her cheeks blazing red. "Nora! Don't say that! It's embarrassing!"

When the roulette finally stopped, the fields chosen were forest and mountain.

"Well that's great." Emerald said facetiously. "Now the sniper has all the cover in the world."

"This is going to be annoying." Mercury groaned.

"We can take them no matter what field it is." Natsu assured. "Right, Cinder?"

The ashen-haired maiden nodded. "Of course."

The field changed, and both teams stood ready.

"3! 2! 1! Begin!"

The two teams charged, but May Zedong – BRNZ's sniper – split from the group, headed to the forest, and found a perch in one of the trees.

"Emerald!" Natsu shouted. He fought Brawnz Ni - the opposition's leader. Mercury battled with Roy Stallion, and finally Cinder engaged Nolan Porfirio.

Emerald grabbed her kusarigama and threw them at May. She quickly shot them down. Emerald clucked.

"Well that won't get annoying anytime soon." She evaded another shot.

Brawnz's punch grazed Natsu's cheek, his claws drawing blood. The pinkette swept his leg. Next he brought down his fist down. Brawnz rolled away before he was turned into a pancake. Natsu gave chase.

Mercury kicked at Roy. The dark-skinned member of Team BRNZ blocked with this glove, the saw attached to them started spinning rapidly. The gray-haired teen smirked and leapt back.

"You're gonna be trouble."

Roy fired his saws after him. Mercury managed to kick them away, but not before the saw scratched into his prosthetic.

"Yeah, big trouble." He watched the saws return to Roy.

Cinder seemed to dance as she nimbly evaded punches and kicks from Nolan. Just when he thought he was going to touch her, she turned at the last second to loosen his grip. She kicked the back of his knee and got behind him.

 _This is going to be a bit difficult without the use of my abilities._ She looked to Natsu - who was recovered from a kick from Brawnz - and grinned. _But a little challenge is good from time to time._

She raised her leg to finish Nolan off. As she brought it down, Nolan grabbed the cattle prod on his waist and pressed it against Cinder's abdomen. The electricity shot through her body like a spike. She gasped for air and dropped to a knee, clenching her teeth and clutching her stomach.

"Cinder!" Natsu ran to moved but was intercepted by Brawnz.

"You're fighting me!"

"Is she ok?" Ruby fretted.

Nolan raised his prod in the air for the final blow. Cinder looked up, her death glare causing him to drop his weapon. Her left eye glowing brightly, she forced herself up and crashed her fist into Nolan's face. The bones in his cheek and the cartilage in his nose breaking, Nolan flew past the others landed into the forest field. He crashed through a rock and a tree before finally falling out of the arena.

"Yeah." Yang chuckled. "I think she's fine."

"Nolan Porfiro has been eliminated!" Port announced.

Doctor Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "That was quite the punch from Ms. Fall."

 _Damn._ Cinder cursed. _I didn't mean to use that much power. My temper got the best of me._

"Nolan!"

"Got you."

May spun around to the sight of Emerald behind her. When she fired her rifle, the bullet passed through the smirking thief. "What?" The clinking of chains rang in May's ears and she looked up to the see them hovering just above her head.

Before she could escape Emerald – who was really seated on the branch above her – jumped down, wrapping the chains around May's neck. As her opponent struggled to free herself, Emerald threw her into Roy's back. Mercury kicked both of them into the mountain field.

Natsu grabbed Brawnz lifted leg, gripping the young man's ankle tight before slinging him around a few times into his teammates. Team CMSN rendezvoused in the center of the arena.

"You ok, Cinder?" Natsu asked.

"Only a minor scrape. He caught me by surprise."

"That was a nice punch." Natsu complimented with a smile. "Remind me never to piss you off."

"You needn't worry. I would never use that kind of force on you."

"Looks like their all lined up." Mercury said, watching as their opponents gingerly rose to their feet. "How you wanna finish it?"

Natsu thought for a moment. "...Meteor!"

"Isn't that overkill?" Emerald warily asked. "Besides we haven't practiced it much. Why not Kick Starter, or Phoenix?"

"We're the last fight of the day." Natsu elaborated. "We gotta send the people home happy with a big bang and show the other teams who the best is!"

"Sounds interesting." Cinder chuckled. "Let's do it."

"You're the boss." Mercury shrugged.

Emerald sighed. "You're such a showoff." She ran forward.

When BRNZ saw her coming they tried to separate but Emerald held them to a nearby rock with her kusarigama.

"Now!"

Mercury launched Cinder and Natsu into the air with his boots. When they were a few feet in the air, Natsu grabbed Cinder's hand.

"What are they doing?" Blake asked. She shielded her eyes from the sun as Natsu and Cinder continued to soar.

"This is going to be awesome!" Nora shouted, bouncing in her seat.

"Or a disaster." Ren countered.

Pyrrha watched intently.

The whole arena watched with bated breath when Natsu and Cinder finally stopped ascending.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"Yep. Throw me as hard you can."

Cinder nodded and turned her body, using the momentum to throw Natsu towards the ground headfirst. Cinder fell as well. She was caught by Mercury.

"Thank you." She looked to Natsu as Mercury set her on her feet. "Now we watch the beautiful display."

"Cinder just threw Natsu like he was a dart! He's falling!" Doctor Oobleck shouted.

"Yes we can see that." Port said. "Question is: what is he planning to do when he hits the ground?"

"Hold them still, Emerald!"

"I got them! Just do it already!"

"Right!" Natsu ignited his hands in spun around. The flames covered his body, giving him the appearance of a falling comet. The crowd's collective jaws dropped in shock.

When Natsu was close enough to where she could feel the heat, Emerald dashed back to Mercury and Cinder. Team BRNZ could only look up in collective shock as the grinning pinkette fell on top of them. The explosion spread outward and the entire colosseum shook. The flames licked at the barrier protecting the spectators, but those close enough could feel the heat from the flames.

"What the heck was that?!" Yang shouted.

"I don't know!" Blake answered.

"Natsu!" Weiss cried out.

"Is he ok?!" Ruby yelled.

"Woo! I knew that would be awesome!" Nora cheered.

"Now is not the time, Nora!" Ren scolded.

"Seriously!" Jaune agreed.

"Where is Natsu?!" Pyrrha frightfully asked.

The smoke from the flames in the arena started to subside. The forest area was slowly revealed to have been burned to ash, and the mountains had been blown apart, but no one cared about that. They were worried about the fighters inside. When the smoke fully dissipated, Team CMSN stood tall in the center of the arena while Team BRNZ were all out of bounds.

"That was completely reckless." Emerald said.

"Yeah, but it worked." Mercury grinned.

"I say that guarantees us the win." Cinder remarked. "Right, Natsu?"

The pinkette smiled and raised his fists into the air. "Yea~h!"

"Your winners by knockout: Team CMSN!" Professor Port. "Someone might also want to get a medic for Team BRNZ...specifically burn unit."

The crowd's roars were all in support of the winning team.

"That was amazing!"

"I didn't know Beacon had students **that** strong!"

"They might win the whole thing!"

"What was their team name again? I need to change my pick."

"Looks like they just became the favorites." Blake grinned wrly.

"How is anyone going to follow that?" When Yang looked at Natsu, she grinned. "Show off."

"That was so cool!" Ruby exclaimed. "Natsu's gotten way stronger!"

"I don't think my heart can take much more of this." Weiss exhaled deeply as she gripped her chest and sunk in her seat.

"Deep breaths, Princess." Yang fanned her teammate. "Deep breaths."

Pyrrha's eyes caught Natsu's. When he gave her a thumbs up and a smile she returned it with a slight blush and a meek thumbs up of her own. Nora nudged her elbow.

"You two are totally in love."

"Team CMSN's gonna win the whole tournament!" Natsu boldly declared. "If anybody's gotta problem with that, then bring it on!"

* * *

In a bar not far from the entrance to the Amity Colosseum, a man with a scraggly beard and slick black hair drank alone. Along with the mustached bartender he had been watching the Vytal Festival on the holo-screen. Finding himself perpetually bored with the matches up until that point, he was only roused out of his drunken stupor when he saw Team CMSN's battle.

"That kid sure has a lot of energy." The bartender said as he watched Natsu continue to brag and boast to the crowd. "That last move he did was pretty crazy."

"Yeah. Kid wasn't half…bad." The man slurred. "Even he was a little…messy."

"Looks like you finally started getting interested. You didn't like any of the previous fights. I was starting to wonder just what you were waiting for."

As the man stared into his glass of liquor, an Atlesian Military craft flew by. When he saw the ship, he instantly recognized who it belonged to.

"That's my cue." He downed the rest of his drink, left the money on the counter, and stumbled out of the bar. "Happy Vytal Festival." he waved to the bartender.

* * *

"That concludes the matches for today." Doctor Oobleck announced. "Please leave in a calm and orderly fashion!"

Slowly but surely all of the spectators started to make their way to the airships that would take them back to the city, each person talking about the last fight they had witnessed. By the end of the day Team CMSN would sure be the talk of the tournament for that last attack alone.

"Let's go congratulate them." Yang lead her friends towards the arena floor entrance. As they approached the colosseum tunnel, the whirring of a passing airship's engine caught Weiss'. She abruptly stopped, causing Ruby - who was walking behind her - to bump into her back and fall over.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked from her back. She got up and dusted herself off.

Weiss' eyes softened and she smiled adoringly as the ship flew over. "She's here." Her brother also saw the vessel, but he was much less enthused than she was.

"Great…"

* * *

 **Vol. 3 is a go, so a big chapter seemed appropriate. Changed up some the fights and events to make things go a little different. Basically cut out the SSSN and JNPR (I had them fight the nameless team that Cinder's group beat in canon) battles since a good majority of you have already seen them and i saw no reason to keep them. Decided to add some Pyrrha/Natsu fluff instead. Hopefully that worked.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	28. Family Troubles

Ruby ran after Weiss all the way to the school's main landing pad. The airship they saw while in the stadium was starting to land. Ever since they saw the ship pass by overhead Weiss became a woman possessed. She darted from the arena and onto the transport back to the school with speed that rivaled Ruby's Semblance.

The leader of Team RWBY followed her partner out of sheer curiosity. Just who was arriving at the school? Why did their presence make Weiss so excited?

"Natsu, stop dragging your feet!"

And Natsu so grumpy?

The two young ladies arrived at the platform just in time to watch the cargo door open, Natsu forcing himself along a few seconds later.

"So what's the big deal?" Ruby finally asked out of breath. "Who is 'She'?"

"Winter." Weiss answered happily.

Ruby's eyes went wide. "You mean…?"

"Yeah." Natsu sighed. "Our big sister."

From out of the ship emerged a woman. Followed by a squad of Atlesian Knight-200s. She had snow-white hair – tied in a bun on the left side of her head with her bangs curling down over her left eye – fair skin, and ice-blue eyes; just like her younger sister. She was also much taller than Weiss – and even Natsu to a small degree. Coupling that with how straight she stood, as well as her military uniform, Ruby described Winter at first glance as "beautiful yet commanding".

"Winter!" Weiss called out to her sister. She grabbed her brother's wrist. "Come on, Natsu."

"Do I have to?"

Ruby followed behind the siblings. When Winter looked their way, her intimidating gaze didn't waiver.

"I'm so happy to see you!" Weiss squealed. Remembering herself the heiress quickly curtsied. "I mean, your presence honors us."

"Yo." Natsu's nonchalant greeting earned him a smack to the back of head from his little sister. "Ow! What was that for?!"

Winter ignored her siblings surveyed the nearby area. "Beacon. It's been a long time. The air feels…different."

"Well it is fall…so…it's probably colder."

A punch from Weiss stunned Ruby as well.

"What are you doing here?" The heiress eagerly asked her sister.

"Classified." Was Winter's short reply.

"Oh right. Well how long are you staying?"

"Classified."

"Of course."

"Is the reason you're being so annoying 'classified' too?" Natsu's question was answered with another punch from Weiss. "Ow! Would you stop hitting me already?!"

Ruby could practically touch the awkwardness in the air. "Well this is a nice reunion…I think."

"You're going to love it here!" Weiss exclaimed to her sister. "I know you travel a lot, but Beacon is so much different than Atlas! Vale as well! Can you believe that the government and school are completely separate?! I-"

"I'm fully aware of how this kingdom runs it's…bureaucracy." Winter interrupted. "That is not why I'm here."

Weiss straightened up. "Right. My apologies."

"Nor did I come here to watch my siblings fail so miserably in battle. Though sadly it seems I have no choice in the matter."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Here we go."

"Fail?" Weiss questioned. "We both won our battles."

"Only a novice would count those as victories. I counted at least three strikes missed."

Weiss sulked in shame.

"As for you, Natsu. Your leadership skills are sorely lacking. It was like watching a toddler try to order around a pack of wild dogs. That and your last attack was reckless at best and catastrophic at worst. What if you had injured yourself, or worse your own teammates? How many times have I told you to stop showing off?"

"I don't know. I stopped counting after fifty." Natsu remarked.

Winter shook her head. "Leave us." She threw up her hand and at her command the robots escorting her moved back…two paces. She sighed in exhaustion. When she looked back to her siblings and Ruby her face had softened some. She was even smiling a little bit. "How have you been?"

"Wonderful!" Weiss piped up. "Thank you for asking. I have the top ranking in our sparring class, and my studies are going wonderfully as well-"She was quickly silenced when Winter smacked her on the head.

"Enough! I don't need an update on your ranking. I want to know how you've been." She looked over to Natsu, prompting him to speak.

"Me? Well…I ummm...I haven't been kicked out yet so that's good…I think. I also haven't blown anything up…much."

Winter sighed again. "I suppose that's the best I can hope for out of you."

"I also got a girlfriend."

Winter's eyes widened in shock at this reveal. "You what? A girlfriend?!"

"You don't have to sound so surprised." Natsu grumbled.

"Who is it?"

"Pyrrha."

"Pyrrha…" Winter gasped. "As in Pyrrha Nikos? The top-ranking warrior from Mistral?!"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah."

"I was surprised as well." Weiss chimed in.

"Well I can certainly say that was not something I expected to hear upon my arrival. Congratulations, Natsu."

"Thanks?"

"What about you, Weiss? Have you met any boys that interest you?"

"Well actually-"

"No." Natsu firmly interrupted. "She hasn't."

Winter grinned. "Still under your big brother, eh? You really must grow out of that habit someday."

"What does that mean?!" Weiss asked with an embarrassed blush.

"I'm sure you know. What else has been happening? Have the two of you made sure the other is eating properly? Do you have any hobbies? Have you made any new friends?"

"Well there's Ruby." Weiss informally introduced her team leader. Winter looked her over, and judging by the tight expression on her face the oldest Schnee sibling wasn't impressed by what she saw.

"Ah so this is the leader you wrote about in your letter. How appropriately…underwhelming."

"Um…thank you?" Ruby replied.

"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister. As well as formally apologize for any trouble my brother has already, and will no doubt continue, to cause in the future."

"Hey." Natsu whined.

"Oh yes. Of course." Ruby smiled nervously. She had no idea how to deal with people like Winter. She didn't want to seem too flippant, but at the same time she didn't want to be too stiff either. In the end she settled for a mix of both. "The honor is in my…court." When she tried to curtsy, she almost fell over.

Natsu snickered while Weiss simply shook her head. Winter on the other hand seemed pacified with her actions.

"I have business with the General and your Headmaster, but seeing as how I'm a bit early; why don't you take me to your quarters?"

"Really?" Weiss was practically bouncing. Her brother wanted to run and hide.

"You really don't have to do that." He said.

"Why not?" Winter asked. "I simply wish to inspect them and see if they are up to my personal standards."

"That's what I was afraid of."

With a heavy head Natsu walked with his sisters towards the dormitory, unwittingly leaving Ruby behind.

"Just so you know," Weiss began. "The bunk beds only look unstable."

Winter was confused. "Bunk…beds?"

Ruby waved to the group as they were followed by the military robots. "I'll catch u-I mean I will…reconvene with you three at a later…juncture! Yeah juncture. That's it."

* * *

Natsu was a few steps behind his sisters as they approached the main courtyard of the academy. He hadn't said much since their journey began – only speaking when Winter or Weiss asked him a question. In all reality Natsu didn't really want to say anything, seeing his sisters both smile and talk was enough for him.

Despite his slightly combative attitude from time to time Natsu did care for his older sister just as much as he did his younger one. Underneath her hardened demeanor, Winter was a very caring individual. Natsu still remembered the time she snuck him and Weiss out of the mansion one night to go stargazing.

She was also the one who designed the insignia that was emblazoned both on the back of his vest as well as his arm. He still remembered the words she told him the day she presented the design to him: _"Though you may not be related to us by blood, never feel that you are not a part of this family. I put the emblem underneath the dragon's head so you know that no matter what you choose to do in life, you will always have a home here with us."_

"Did you hear me, Natsu?"

The pinkette refocused when he saw Winter glaring at him.

"What?" he asked. "Sorry I wasn't listening."

"Clearly. I asked you about the whereabouts of your team. CMSN was it? I would like to meet them as well as Weiss'."

"I think they're back at the dorm. Hold on, I'll check." Natsu grabbed his scroll and started looking for Cinder's information. Crap...I never got her number. Before he could relay this information to Winter he was interrupted by the sound of one of the robots following from the rear breaking apart. The head rolled past him. "What the…?"

The Schnee siblings turned around, looking on in confusion – or in Winter's case irritation – as a man with slick-black hair and red eyes held up the headless robot.

"Hey!" he called. From his slurred words and constant stumbling around, he was clearly drunk. "I'm talking to you, Ice Queen."

One of the remaining robots moved to intercept.

"Halt!" Winter ordered, stopping the automaton. Weiss however didn't heed her sister's command.

"Excuse me! Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

She stomped to the drunkard, only for him to place his hand on her head and push her aside.

"Not you."

"Hey!"

The lush made a bee line for Winter. "You." The walkway got quiet, the spectators anxiously awaiting what would happen between the shambling stranger and the military Specialist.

"Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town." He said. "Guess that means you're here too."

"I'm clearly standing before you aren't I?" Winter retorted.

The man squinted for a moment to line up his blurred vision. "So it would seem."

"I do hope you realize that you destroyed Atlas Military property."

The man looked around at the robots he had broken. "Oh." He said, feigning fright. "My bad. I mistook it for some sort of sentient garbage."

"I don't have time for these childish games…Qrow."

"Wait," Weiss returned to her sister's side. "You two know each other?"

Natsu thought for a moment. _Qrow? Why does that name sound familiar? I know I heard it somewhere before._

"Geez. You Atlas Specialists think you're so special, don't ya?" Qrow said to Winter.

"It's in the title." She sniped.

"You wanna know what you really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss."

"I'm not sure what you **think** you're implying, but I've heard enough."

"Oh me too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned on Ozpin."

"Ozpin?"

Winter pushed her younger sister back. "Weiss, it's time for you and Natsu to leave."

"But-"

"Listen to big sister, Weiss." Qrow said. "She just wants to protect you. Just like Atlas is gonna protect all of us, right?" he stumbled back a couple of steps.

Winter drew her sword. Her patience with the drunk had long since evaporated. "If your tongue is too much of a burden for you, I will gladly remove it."

"Alright." Qrow ran his a hand through his hair, moving his bangs out of his field of vision. "Come take it."

Before Winter could make good on her threat, Natsu stepped in front of her with his weapons at the ready.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Weiss gasped.

"I told you to leave." Winter ordered. "Step aside this instant."

Qrow continued to smirk. "Gotta admit I wasn't expecting this."

Natsu slammed his fists together, changing Black Summer from glove to gauntlet mode. "I've heard enough crap from you, drunk. Nobody talks to my sisters' like that."

"Oh really? Well what are you going to do about it, Pinky?"

Without a moment's hesitation Natsu dashed to Qrow with his fist drawn back. His first punch missed. As did his second. And his third. When he tried a kick Qrow bowed before him. Gripping the handle of the sword against his lower back Qrow extended the blade and pushed Natsu back. The two stared at one another, testing their range before resuming the fight.

"Winter, we have to do something!" Weiss pleaded. "Natsu could get hurt!"

"Calm down, Weiss. I will handle this." Winter started to move towards the pair.

"Stay out of this!" Natsu shouted to his sister. He slid back on his heels after blocking a slash from Qrow. "This is between me and him!"

"Natsu, cease this nonsense right now! You have nothing to gain from battling him! This is pointless!"

"Pointless?" Qrow questioned; dodging another one of Natsu's strike. "Don't you think that's a little harsh? He's just trying to protect his big sister's honor after all." His smirked angered the eldest Schnee sibling even more.

Ruby pushed through the crowd to the front lines of the fight. She had originally started back to the dorms, but after seeing the crowd gather she couldn't help but be curious.

"What's going on?" she asked Weiss.

"Some crazy guy just appeared and started insulting my sister. Then out of nowhere started fighting Natsu."

"Oh no. Who would do such a…oh it's my uncle!" Ruby's concern turned to joy when she saw Qrow.

"What?"

"Kick his butt, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted.

Caught in the heat of the moment Weiss cheered for her family as well. "Show him the meaning of respect, Natsu!"

Not far from the fight irritably Mercury Black wandered the grounds. He had been sent by Cinder to retrieve Natsu.

"Why do I have to find the guy? I don't care if he got lost. I swear it's always me that-"

We he saw his team leader fighting Qrow his eyes widened in shock. _Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap! That's bad! Really bad!_ He took off running back the way he came.

Natsu and Qrow's fight took them through the crowd and further down the walkway. After a stiff elbow to the cheek, Natsu retaliated by slamming his fist into the ground. The sidewalk broke apart, but Qrow avoided disaster by jumping into the air.

"Gotta be faster than that, kid!"

Natsu followed the drunk to the grass. No matter what he tried, none of his attacks seemed to land a substantial hit on the man. Qrow changed his sword into a shotgun and fired at Natsu point-blank. The pinkette blocked, but the force propelled Qrow to a tall structure surrounding the courtyard.

With a smirk his stuck his sword into one of the pillars and ran up it.

"Get back here!"

Natsu ran down the walkway, firing his cannons at Qrow - who now ran along the top of the structure.

 _Looks like he inherited her temper._ Qrow noted.

Natsu jumped to the opposite structure, and a firefight ensued. Qrow proved the better marksman when he seemingly shot Natsu down. The pinkette recovered and launched himself at Qrow – Black Summer changing into claw mode.

Qrow held his sword across his body to block. Natsu crashed into him. The two broke through the structure and fell to the ground. The force and height from which they landed would have likely knocked out or outright killed anybody else.

Natsu finally landed a punch. Qrow was sent reeling back to where their started.

"That all you got?" the smirking man taunted, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Gotta say I'm kinda disappointed."

Natsu fired another blast from his cannons, but with a swipe of his blade Qrow cut through it. The gears in his weapon started to turn, but when he saw the anger in Natsu's eyes, he simply smirked and put his weapon back. This confused the increasingly angry pinkette.

"What are you doing?"

Qrow replied with a condescending smirk and motioning of his finger for Natsu to attack.

 _That bastard is making fun of me!_ Natsu clenched his fists so hard that they shook. Slowly the temperature around him started to rise.

"Umm…is it getting hotter to anyone else?" Ruby asked while tugging on her collar. Next to her Weiss was fanning herself off.

"That's odd. It was cool just a few moments ago."

Winter quickly realized what was going on. "Natsu! Calm down!"

Natsu didn't hear his elder sister's plea. He was only focused on Qrow. No matter what he did, nothing seemed to work. It was infuriating. This wasn't just about Winter's honor anymore, this was a matter of Natsu's personal pride as a fighter.

He felt an intense fire within slowly rising to the surface. Whether consciously or unconsciously Natsu inhaled as much air as he could. A red-orange circle resembling a glyph appeared in front of him. When Natsu opened his mouth, out came a huge stream of fire.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON ROAR**_

Natsu's roar frightened the crowd, who cried out in terror as the fire headed their way. Even Qrow was caught off guard.

 _What's this?!_ He motioned for his blade, but was saved by Winter.

The eldest Schnee sibling stuck her sword into the ground, creating a large glyph. Ice swirled around her, forming into a giant beowolf that absorbed the fire from Natsu's attack. When the threat was neutralized she stared across the courtyard at her younger brother. His eyes were still narrowed and his hands still clutched tightly.

"Natsu, get ahold of yourself!" she yelled.

Her shout finally managed to break through to him and Natsu started to come to his senses.

"Winter? What happened? Did I win?" He saw smoke rising. "Where did that come from? Wait it's in my mouth! Why am I breathing smoke?!"

Winter sighed in relief.

"That was a close one." Qrow grinned. Winter quickly pointed her blade at his throat.

"This was your fault! If you hadn't provoked him he-"

"Schnee!"

The soldier stood at attention at the familiar baritone. It was General Ironwood. She turned to him and saluted – for some reason Penny Poledina was with him.

"General Ironwood, sir!"

"What is the meaning of this?" the general demanded.

"He was the one who started the altercation, sir."

"That's a lie." Qrow argued. "The kid attacked me first."

"Kid?" Ironwood looked over to a confused Natsu. "Is this true?"

"No."

Ironwood continued to stare at him.

"I mean…kinda."

The general's stare hardened even more and Natsu finally gave up. He dropped his head in shame.

"Yeah."

"I see." Ironwood looked around at the destruction the two caused. Luckily no one seems to be hurt. He next looked to Qrow. "You."

The black-haired man pointed at himself in confusion as Ironwood approached him.

"What are you doing here?" The general asked.

"You first."

"I-"

"Now now, everyone."

The crowd parted as Professor's Ozpin and Goodwitch made their appearances.

"There is a sanctioned fight happening over at the colosseum that not only has better seats, but popcorn as well." Ozpin said.

"Break it up, everyone." Glynda ordered. "We will handle things here."

Ironwood looked to Winter. "Let's go."

The soldier followed her general away. Penny went along as well, but not before waving to Natsu, Weiss, and Ruby. Natsu and Ruby returned the gesture, but Weiss remained confused to her presence at the General's side.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby latched onto her Uncle's arm like a monkey. "It's great to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me?!"

"…Nope." Qrow grinned and rubbed his niece's head.

"Qrow!"

Ruby dropped from her uncle's arm when Ozpin called. Behind the Headmaster Glynda was fixing the ground Qrow and Natsu had broken.

"A word if you would."

"I think I'm in trouble." Qrow whispered to Ruby.

"Well you kinda tore up our courtyard."

"Good point. See you later, kid." With a wink and a fist bump Qrow followed the Headmaster.

"Now your recklessness makes sense." Weiss commented as she moved next to Ruby.

"You're just mad that he kicked butt." Ruby bragged.

"Please. If the General hadn't gotten involved Natsu would have been victorious."

The girls looked to the still bewildered Natsu. He kept opening and closing his mouth. Most likely in an attempt to use the attack from earlier.

"I didn't know he could breathe fire." Ruby said. "That was awesome!"

Weiss was less enthused. "Yes. I suppose it was." _Fire Dragon...Roar?_

Natsu watched the adults pass by.

"Not bad, kid." Qrow complimented. "Gotta admit you surprised me with that last move."

"Thanks…I guess." Natsu said begrudgingly.

"Mr. Schnee." Ozpin called.

"Yeah?"

"Under normal circumstances, any student participating in the tournament caught fighting in a non-sanctioned fight **outside** of it would result in the disqualification of their entire team."

Natsu gulped. "Does that mean-"

"But, seeing as how no one was hurt during your and Qrow's reckless altercation I will look the other way…this time. I suggest you be on your best behavior from now on. Do you understand?"

Natsu stood at attention. "R-right! Yes, sir!"

Ozpin sipped from his mug and smiled at the boy. "Good."

* * *

General Ironwood stood like a statue next to Professor Ozpin's desk as Winter paced back and forth in front of him. They had been waiting for Ozpin and the others to return for the past few minutes. When the elevator door opened it took everything Winter had not to slit Qrow's neck.

"You bastard! How dare you raise your sword to my brother?! I should-"

"Schnee."

Ironwood's tone stopped the angered Specialist in her tracks. She took a step back and composed herself.

"At least the kid was bold enough to challenge me." Qrow smirked. "Can't say the same for you."

This comment only increased Winter's contempt.

"If you were one of my men I'd have you shot." Ironwood said.

Qrow grabbed the flask from his jacket pocket and took a drink. "Don't bother. I would have shot myself."

"That being said, your behavior was unacceptable." Glynda said. "Attacking a student like that is simply uncalled for. Your antagonizing didn't help matters either, Ms. Schnee."

"He was drunk!" Winter argued.

"He's always drunk!"

The group looked to Qrow, who was in the middle of emptying his flask into his mouth. Ozpin sighed and sat in his chair.

"Why exactly are you here, Qrow?" he asked.

"You've been out of contact for weeks." Ironwood stated. "You can't just go dark in the field like that."

"I'm not one of your toy soldiers, Jimmy." Qrow sniped.

"General." Winter corrected.

"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on the enemy? Well let me give my report. The enemy is here."

"We know." Ironwood said plainly.

"Oh wonderful! You know! Well it's a good thing I risked my ass out there to get you this oh so vital piece of information."

"Qrow-"

"Communication goes both ways." He grabbed his scroll from his pocket and pointed at the center button. "See? This is the send button. Feel free to use it anytime."

"There was reason to believe that you'd been compromised." Winter informed.

"And I have reason to be believe that you shouldn't be here. Seriously, why is she in here?"

Ironwood answered before Winter had a chance to retort.

"We will discuss this incident back on my ship. You are dismissed, Schnee."

Winter was shocked for lack of a better word. "But, sir, you can't seriously be agreeing with this-"

"Winter. Leave."

Reluctantly the snow-haired soldier followed orders and saluted to the general before leaving the office. Though not before exchanging one final look of disgust with Qrow. Ironwood prompted Qrow to continue.

"As you were saying."

"Our infiltrator isn't just a pawn, they're the one responsible for Autumn's condition." Qrow took another drink from his flask. "Despite the façade we put on for the masses: being teachers, generals, or headmasters isn't what we truly are. We - as well as the headmasters of the other academies - are on the front lines in a war that no one even knows about.

It's the sole reason why we work in shadows and have these oh so secret meetings." He stepped to General Ironwood. "So let me in on a secret, James, were you being discreet when you brought your army to Vale or did you just not give a damn?!"

"Discreet was no longer an option."

Ironwood placed his scroll on Ozpin's desk. It interfaced with the computer and in the middle of the office a hologram displaying Beacon, Vale, the colosseum, and the Atlesian Fleet appeared.

"I'm here because this was necessary."

"No, you're here because Ozpin let you be. He brought you into this group and showed you what was really going on out there."

"And I am grateful for that."

"You are? Well color me surprised because you got a real unique way of showing it."

"The people of Vale needed someone who would protect them. They needed **action**. Looking up to my fleet in the skies they feel safe, while our enemies feel our strength."

Curiously, Qrow started to laugh.

"You think they're scared of your flying toys? I've seen first-hand what she's made of and I can tell you for a fact that you don't know what fear really is."

"And fear in turn brings the Grimm." Ozpin stood up from his desk. "A guardian is a symbol of comfort, while an army symbolizes conflict. There is an energy around us now. The question everyone wants the answer to is: 'If this is the size of our defenses, what are we expecting to fight?'"

Ironwood looked at his comrades. It was clear that they were all against his idea of 'protection'. With a defeated sigh he grabbed his scroll from the table – unaware of the picture of a Queen Chess piece being displayed on it.

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"We find our guardian." Ozpin answered.

"I gotta quick question." Qrow said.

"Yes? What is it?"

"That kid I fought earlier…he's the one Raven raised isn't he?"

It took a moment for Ozpin to answer. "...Yes. He is."

"How did he end up with the Schnees?"

"That is a question you will have to ask her."

"Is that your plan then? Are you gonna try and make him this 'guardian'?"

"No. He's done more than enough already." Ozpin looked out of his window to the city lights in the distance. "This fight is not his, and I aim to make sure it stays that way."

* * *

"And you're sure that it was him?"

"Bad hair, scythe, and smelled like my dad on bad day? Yeah it was him."

Mercury watched Cinder pace in front of him. He had just informed her of the situation between Qrow and Natsu not too long ago, but by all accounts she didn't seem too bothered by it.

"You said he was fighting Natsu?"

"Yep. They were going at it pretty hard."

"Was he hurt?"

"I don't know. Seemed like he was kind of enjoying it."

"Not him. Natsu."

"That's who I was talking about."

"What do we do now?" Emerald asked Cinder. Her normal confident tone had just the tiniest bit of fear mixed in.

"Nothing." Cinder answered. "We proceed as planned. They have no idea who we are so we have no reason to worry."

"What about Natsu?"

"He is in the dark as well. We're more than covered. In addition, the last of the heavy lifting has been taken care of thanks to our clever little friend."

Cinder grabbed the scroll tablet on the desk. When she turned it on the Queen piece appeared along with some sort of menu, and a picture of General Ironwood.

"Speaking of which it seems that we have ourselves a new access point."

"Anywhere good?" Emerald asked.

"Something like that. Return to your rooms I will get things ready for tomorrow."

"Got it."

"Yes, ma'am."

When Mercury and Emerald left the room Cinder started scrolling through the doubles in the tournament. Just then the door reopened, revealing Natsu. Cinder quickly exited the program.

"Natsu? I'm surprised you're here."

"Why? This is my room."

"Y-yes. Of course. Forgive me, it's just that I haven't seen you since our battle."

"Yeah…" Natsu looked around the room in an attempt to fight off his embarrassment. "Sorry for ditching you guys. I kinda got caught up in something."

"It's alright. Rumor has it you were involved in a fight."

"Yeah. I was."

"That really wasn't smart. What if you had been hurt? We would have been disqualified from the tournament. Was it not you who declared to the masses that we would win?"

"I know. I know. I messed up." Natsu groaned. "Geez you sound just like Weiss. She just got through yelling at me."

"She's just concerned. As am I. We can't afford for you to run off on your own like that and start fights when we still have two days left in the tournament. If you must fight, do it in the ring."

Natsu sighed. "I understand. I'll be more careful next time."

"That is all I ask." Cinder smiled.

"Well I'm tired. So I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Of course. Go right ahead."

When Natsu flopped belly first onto his bed Cinder reopened the program on the tablet. She stopped at the pictures of Natsu and Mercury.

"Natsu, one last question before you go sleep."

The pinkette grunted in reply.

Cinder smirked deviously. "If you could face any double in the tournament right now, who would it be?"

* * *

The crowd was roared with anticipation for the second day of the festival. Everyone speculated on what the first match of the day would be. Natsu was surprised when the randomizer stopped on himself and Mercury versus Yatsuhashi and Coco of Team CFVY.

"That's weird." He commented. When Cinder asked him the previous night who he would want to fight, that was the pair he chose. It wasn't like Team CFVY was who he wanted to face the most, those were just the first two that popped into his head. Nevertheless he shrugged his shoulders and made his way to the arena floor along with Mercury. At least he would get the chance to prove himself against two of the strongest students in the school.

"Natsu and Mercury of Team CMSN versus Yatsuhashi and Coco of Team CFVY! Our first match of the doubles round is sure to be an exciting one." Professor Port said.

"That's right, Peter." Doctor Oobleck nodded. "Team CFVY are currently regarded as the strongest team in Beacon. Their level of teamwork is simply unparalleled, but Team CMSN surprised everyone with their astonishing victory in the first round. It will certainly be a treat to see if Team CMSN's unorthodox methods will be able to best Team CFVY's experience."

The biome randomizer started to spin. In order to vary the matches from the first round, the second round battles used four different areas instead of two. When the spinner stopped, the biomes that were chosen were forest, geyser, urban, and savannah.

"Pretty bold statement you made yesterday, fireball." Coco complimented Natsu.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." The pinkette replied.

"Oh I know you meant it, but you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch."

Natsu titled his head. "Chickens?"

"She's saying not to get too cocky." Mercury explained.

"Bingo." Coco pointed. "See, Team CFVY has a reputation to maintain, so we can't let a couple of freshman show us up. Also you broke my girl's heart. Even if we're friends I can't let that slide."

Natsu was once again confused. "What did I do?"

In the stands Velvet looked away from the arena with a blush.

Mercury cracked his knuckles. "You guys ready to get this party started or what?"

Yatsuhashi stood up and grabbed his massive sword. "We should be asking you the same thing."

The countdown began. "3! 2! 1! BEGIN!"

Natsu sped to Coco and Yatsuhashi like a rocket, catching them both off-guard. With a punch and kick he separated them to opposite ends of the arena. He went after Yatsuhashi first. The big man swung his sword, but Natsu slid underneath his legs. He kicked the back of his knee to bring him down to his level, but before he could strike again he saw Coco's Gatling gun aimed at him.

The chamber started to rotate and Natsu circled around to avoid the shots. Coco's bullets cut through the savannah grass and even managed to hit the barrier protecting the spectators. Natsu charged head on and stepped on Coco's weapon, forcing it down to the ground.

She tried to move him but he wouldn't budge. "Not fair!"

"Here's a new move I learned." Natsu opened his mouth. "Fire Dragon Roar!"

Coco didn't know what she was in for, but when she braced for impact. Nothing happened. Natsu was just as confused as she was.

"What the-?! Why isn't it working? That was the name right?"

"What is he doing?" Blake asked.

"I think he's trying to breathe fire again." Ruby answered plainly.

"Natsu can breathe fire?!"

"Yep. He did it yesterday when he fought my Uncle Qrow. I thought I told you that."

"No you didn't. You just ranted and raved about how awesome it was to see your Uncle Qrow after so long. You didn't mention anything about Natsu fighting him or that he could breathe fire."

"…Oh yeah." Ruby remembered. She smiled. "Guess I forgot."

"Little performance anxiety there?" Coco taunted.

"Don't worry I got way more tricks than that." Natsu smirked.

"Too bad we won't get to see them."

"What?"

Yatsuhashi suddenly grabbed Natsu by the back of his head and threw him into the broken building of the urban zone, burying him under a pile of rubble.

"Natsu!" Pyrrha shouted.

"Is he out?!" Weiss asked.

"No." Yang pointed to the holo-screen. Natsu's aura bar had lowered from 100 to 85. "His aura hasn't gone down much, he's still in the fight."

"I just realized," Ruby started. "Where did Mercury go?"

Everyone look around for the illusive young man. That's when Blake saw something falling from the sky.

"Up there!"

Coco and Yatsuhashi looked up just in time to see Mercury descending from the sky. Yatsuhashi pushed Coco out of the way and Mercury landed feet first on the side of his blade. Yatsuhashi pushed him back. As soon Mercury landed Coco fired her gun. Mercury to run around the arena just like Natsu did before him.

"Man he's even faster than Natsu." Sun noted.

"Speaking of him, is he alright?" Neptune asked, looking to the urban ruins. "He's kinda been out awhile."

Mercury nimbly fended off attacks from both members of Team CFVY. When Coco readied her gun to fire again, Mercury jumped behind her. He pressed his feet against the back of the gun, pushing the barrel against Yatsuhashi's stomach.

Unfazed, Coco compressed the gun to its bag form and swatted Mercury away. He fired two shots from his boots. Coco and Yatsuhashi deflected the blasts. When they refocused on Mercury they saw that he had created a tornado of dust shots by spinning his legs around.

The blasts launched to Team CFVY, creating a smokescreen that allowed Mercury to get behind them. He kicked Yatsuhashi away and grabbed Coco.

"How about we go somewhere private?" He abducted her into the forest area.

"Coco!" Yatsuhashi started running after her until an explosion shook the area. He looked to the urban zone and saw Natsu standing tall – albeit with a few cuts and bruises.

"Round two." He snarled.

Weiss and Pyrrha both breathed a sigh of relief - even Velvet was relieved.

Yatsuhashi readied his blade of Natsu's incoming assault.

Natsu fired his cannons. When Yatsuhashi cut through the blasts Natsu suddenly appeared before him and kicked his face. When he tried follow-up Yatsuhashi grabbed his face again, only this time he threw him into the geyser area and followed after him.

Natsu slid through the water. Upon stopping he saw Yatsuhashi falling towards him. He brought his sword down, but Natsu blocked with his gauntlets. The shockwave moved away all of the water in the area, broke the surface rock, and made a few of the geysers go off prematurely.

Yatsuhashi brought down his sword for the final blow. Natsu sidestepped and grabbed the massive student by the arm. With a thunderous shout, Natsu picked up Yatsuhashi and slammed him onto his back with a hard thud.

His head landing on an active geyser, Yatsuhashi was buffeted by the hot vapors. He stood up disoriented, regaining his faculties just as Natsu drove a flame covered fist into his abdomen. Yatsuhashi gasped for air and his eyes glossed over. He hunched over Natsu unconscious and his Aura bar drained to zero. The fight was over for him.

In the forest area, Coco was thrown into a tree. On her hands and knees she shook her head free of cobwebs, but noticed that her trademark sunglasses were missing. She frantically searched for them only to find them broken next to her.

She clucked her teeth. "Those were my favorite pair."

She narrowly dodged a stray shot and watched Mercury come at her. She managed to dodge his kicks and he sprinted off into the trees. The moment she saw him again Coco fired her gun, but all she hit were the trees. When Mercury disappeared again, Coco started to search for him.

"Ok this guy is getting annoying. Where is Yatsuhashi?" Coco heard a buzzer go off and looked to the holo-screen. To her horror a revived Natsu had defeated her teammate.

"Looks like it's now up to Coco to pull out victory for her team." Port said.

"What?" Coco's hands started to shake as she slowly backed further into the forest, her eyes darting every which way for some sign of Mercury. She was alone now. No one was coming to save her. She saw something moving and fired, but came up with nothing again. "Damn."

"Peekaboo."

Coco turned around and was met with a hard kick from Mercury. The force of the strike sent her flying out of the forest area. Natsu placed the defeated Yatsuhashi in the center of the arena, but when he saw Coco soaring overhead his eyes widened. She was heading for the urban area. More specifically a piece of jagged metal that was sticking out from the rubble.

"Coco!" Velvet shouted. If her friend landed on that metal she would no doubt be impaled.

Natsu took off, catching Coco just before she landed. His fashionable friend grinned weakly at him.

"Nice catch..." She then passed out. When her aura bar went below the designated level she was officially eliminated.

"That was a close call, but nonetheless Team CMSN has scored another victory! This time with a huge upset over Team CFVY." Doctor Oobleck commentated.

"It seems that raw grit trumped experience on this day." Professor Port added. "If they keep this going than Natsu's outburst from the first round may go from wishful thinking to reality."

Natsu brought Coco over to where Yatsuhashi was laying.

"That kick was too hard." He glared at Mercury. "You could have killed her."

Mercury smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry about that. Guess I got a little carried away."

Natsu wasn't amused by his flippant reply.

Watching from the seats behind Teams CFVY and RWBY, Cinder and Emerald got up and walked into the colosseum tunnel.

* * *

 **New Chapter! Two Natsu fights for the price of one (also some family time and backstory mystery)! Also gonna try something here. As far as my drafts go, I'm almost done with Vol. 3. I have about 2 chapters in the hole so to speak, so I was thinking of posting a new chapter every monday and friday until I'm done with vol. 3. That way that give plenty of time for people to catch up.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think! Thanks for reading! :)**


	29. Manic Pixie Girl

In an elegant terrace not far from the main school grounds, the Schnee family sat and discussed various topics over tea. Winter and Weiss had spoken for the duration of their time there, while Natsu's mind was focused on other things.

"You're…leaving?" Weiss asked Winter. Her voice waned a little. It was clear she was sad about it.

Winter set down her tea cup. "Yes. I was only needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale. Our last shipment was intercepted. If I remember correctly the two of you were involved with that debacle. We're fortunate that those Paladins were only in the prototype stage. Otherwise you and your friends would have not fared as well as you did."

Weiss dropped her head in disappointment, but raised it when Winter reached out and grabbed her hand.

"You've done…well on your own." the soldier smiled softly. "You should be proud. I'll be honest it was quite amusing seeing Father's face the day you left for Beacon."

"That's not amusing as what Natsu used to do."

The pair turned to their brother, who sat and stared into his tea with a puzzled expression.

"Natsu?" Weiss called.

The pinkette looked up bewildered. "Huh?"

"Is something bothering you?" Winter inquired.

"Me? No I'm fine. Just a little tired from the match I guess."

The eldest Schnee sibling narrowed her eyes. "Natsu, you know I can tell when you're lying. Talk."

"I'm serious. Nothing's wrong." This time he tried to sell the lie with a smile, which Winter seemed to accept – albeit with skepticism. She was right to be suspicious. Natsu had been off since the match with Team CFVY. Mercury's 'apology' still bugged him. By now the pinkette was used to his teammate's snark, but this was different it was almost like he intended to hurt Coco. _What's that guy's problem? Must have gotten too excited or something._

"Natsu." Winter hissed.

"I got it. I'm listening now. What were we talking about?"

"I was reminiscing on how livid Father was when Weiss decided to leave home."

Natsu started to smile. "Oh yeah, I remember. Thought the old guy was gonna have a heart attack."

"He very well might when I show him what I've learned." Weiss boasted. This piqued her siblings' interest.

"Oh?" Winter leaned in, resting her head on her hands. "And what would that be?"

Natsu was more confused than intrigued. "Yeah. I haven't see you learn anything new."

"Yes you have!" Weiss argued. "I've gotten much better with my Glyphs. You've also seen me do time dilation before."

"Oh yeah…guess I forgot."

"What about summoning?" Winter inquired.

Just then all of Weiss' bravado deflated. She sunk her shoulders, sat back in her chair, and looked to the ground. "I…well…"

"She still can't." Natsu finished. He reached for the croissants on the table.

"I was going to say that! Eventually..."

"There's no need to doubt yourself." Winter reassured. "Every Schnee has the ability to summon. Well everyone except for Natsu." When Winter looked to her brother his eyes were wide with surprise. There was also half a croissant sticking out of his mouth. Winter sighed and shook her head.

"I've tried!" Weiss snapped. "It's just…it's too difficult."

"Our family is unique in the sense that our Semblance is hereditary." She turned to a confused Natsu. "That means it's in our blood." The pinkette nodded in understanding – his mouth still full. "Even so that doesn't mean it just comes naturally to you. Like a muscle, you must train and build on it. The more you do that, the stronger it will become." She created a glyph in her hand to illustrate her point.

"Though if you only focus on one aspect of it, and fail to expand on the limits on what is possible…" a bright flash of light prompted both Natsu and Weiss to cover their eyes, when they looked to Winter again they were amazed at the full-size white and blue beowolf standing behind her. It was just like the one she created during Natsu's fight with Qrow.

"You'll never truly grow." She finished. Weiss and Natsu looked to their sister with awe, the former's food falling from his mouth to the ground. "Now, how about you give it a go?"

* * *

"You'll never beat me, old man!"

"You're nothing but talk, kid."

"You can do it, Ruby!"

The soaring ninja sliced the through the head of his enemy, ensuring Ruby Rose's loss. She dropped her head into her lap in defeat, this was third time she had lost to her Uncle Qrow in the game.

"By the way, don't call me old." Qrow said in irrtation.

"My turn!" Yang pushed her sister out of the way and grabbed the game controller. The game accepted the new challenger and the next round began.

Not long after the fight between Teams CMSN and CFVY, Qrow sought out his nieces. Meeting up in the courtyard, the reunited trio went to Team RWBY's room to catch up.

"What was I saying again?" Qrow asked, his attention still focused on the game - he was winning. Ruby popped up between him and Yang.

"You were talking about you last mission!" she chirped.

"Right. I remember now. I came across a small village in the swamps west of Mistral. From the minute I stepped in town I knew something was wrong."

"What were you doing there?" Ruby could barely contain her excitement. She loved her Uncle Qrow's stories.

"Looking for information. Tired from battling Grimm all day I stumbled upon an inn and decided to start my search there. From wall to wall the place was filled with lowlifes, thugs, and even a few huntsmen. Huntsmen of which I'm sure were hired by…less than upstanding members of society. That's when it happened… "

"What?" Yang implored. "What happened?"

"I was beaten…by the sight of the innkeeper's skirt length!"

Yang slipped up and was defeated in the game. In response she threw a pillow at her uncle.

"You're such a perv!" she yelled. Qrow and Ruby laughed.

"So, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?" Ruby asked with a mischievous grin as she sat on the bed.

"Me and Oz go way back." Qrow waved off. "We're cool."

"I heard you fought a student." Yang prompted.

"Yeah. You know him. It was that kid with the spiky-pink hair. Natsu I think his name is."

"Natsu challenged you to a fight?" Yang snorted. "I bet you mopped the floor with him."

"You'd be surprised. Kid's got some moves. I'd say it was more of a draw. Might wanna keep an eye on that one in the tournament."

"I can handle him." Yang boasted.

"So why are you at Beacon, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked. "Dad said you'd be on a mission for like…ever."

Qrow and Yang restarted the game.

"A professional Huntsman like myself is expected to get results asap." Qrow said.

"I know what you mean." Ruby bragged. "We're pretty much pros too."

"Oh really?"

"Duh." Yang said. "Read the news sometime. We totally saved Vale when you were gone."

"Not the way I heard it." Qrow argued. "Heard there was a Grimm attack in Vale after you **almost** stopped a train." He won the game again much to Yang's chagrin. "Too bad they don't give medals for almost."

"Actually they do. They're called silver!" Ruby countered.

"We helped take down Roman Torchwick." Yang smugly informed. "Crime has been down ever since he got locked up in Ironwood's ship. That's basically a bounty mission."

"You might be acting like Huntresses," Qrow started. "But you're not thinking like them. Did you honestly think four girls, one boy with pink hair, and their friends could end all crime in the kingdom?"

Ruby started to fidget. "I was hoping…until you said that." What her uncle said did make a lot of sense. Even it wasn't pleasant to hear.

"Violence hasn't dropped. It's stopped. Completely. Not even the White Fang are skulking around the city. You cut the head off, but another just grew in its place. Something Ironwood can't get through that tin-plated skull of his."

"You know the general, too?" Yang queried.

"Ask around and I know everybody in one way or another." Qrow shrugged. "Don't forget you're talkin to a member of one of the coolest teams to ever graduate from Beacon." Qrow showed the girls an old photo he kept in his pocket. It showed him, along with the girl's parents – Taiyang and Summer Rose. Between him and Taiyang was another woman.

She had long black hair, red eyes, and a long sword on her hip. When Qrow noticed Yang leaning in closer to look at the woman, he subtly covered her face with his thumb.

"Team STRQ (Stark)." Qrow mused. "That's where I met your parents. We were pretty famous back in the day."

"Maybe for your crummy fashion sense." Ruby joked.

"Hey, we looked good, and I have a number of pretty risqué stories to back it up." He looked to Yang. Realizing she was still entranced by the woman in the middle, Qrow abruptly took back the picture and stood up, breaking her trance. "I'll tell you those when you're older."

"Ew. Gross." Ruby retched.

"I should be heading out. I'm a bit too old to be hanging out with kids. You'll cramp my style. Though I want you to remember that you still have a long way to go, and don't think for a second graduating means you're done. A week in this place is only worth about a day out there, but I wouldn't worry too much. You two are gonna go far, but only if you keep improving. And never stop moving forward." With that Qrow started out of the room. "Oh, and if you see that Natsu kid around, tell him I'm ready anytime if he wants a rematch."

"Yes, sir." Ruby saluted. "Bye, Uncle Qrow."

"See you, kids."

When Qrow was out of sight Ruby grabbed the game controller. "Wanna go a round before the next fight starts?" she asked her sister.

"Y-yeah. Sure." Yang grabbed the controller, but her thoughts were still on the woman from the photo. _She looked just liked the woman from my dream…_

* * *

"Excellent form. Now, focus on your fallen enemies. The ones who tested you. The ones who made you into the person you are now."

"Do cn dh it, Weiff."

"Natsu, please. She needs to concentrate." Winter scolded. "And don't talk with your mouthful."

"So-"Natsu swallowed the last croissant. "Sorry."

In front of them their little sister focused all her energies on her summoning. Myrtenaster pointed at the center of the spinning glyph she created, Weiss tried her hardest to follow Winter's instruction, but was having little luck.

"Think of those foes." Winter instructed. "Have them come to your side."

Weiss strained and the glyph spun faster. It expanded briefly before quickly shrinking. After a while, Weiss gave up and glyph disappeared completely.

"I can't." she breathed. Winter smacked her in the back of the head.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted. "You don't have to hit her!"

"She needs to stop doubting herself."

"I'm trying!" Weiss snapped.

"If this is 'trying' then you have no hope of winning the tournament, let alone succeeding as a Huntress. Why don't you just go back home?" Winter said with a smug grin. "I'm sure Father will give you a nice job as a receptionist."

Natsu got between the two. "Why do you have to be such a hard ass all the time? She's doing her best."

"And clearly it's not good enough. If you want her to settle for mediocrity that is your business, but I will not allow it. For either of you."

Natsu glared at his older sister.

"Both of you, please stop fighting!" Weiss pleaded. "For once can't we just be together without you two jumping down each other's throats?"

Winter and Natsu took breaths and calmed down.

"You're right. I went too far." Winter admitted.

"Me too." Natsu agreed. "Sorry."

"Thank you." Weiss smiled gratefully. "And as for returning home. I don't need Father's charity."

"But you do need his money…" Winter retorted. "Don't you?"

"How did you know about that?!" Weiss gasped.

"Know about what?" Natsu questioned.

"It seems our little sister earned Father's ire when she decided to come to Beacon." Winter informed. "As such he's probably frozen her accounts and cut off her finances. Isn't that right, Weiss?"

The heiress sunk her shoulders. "Yes."

"That bastard!" Natsu roared. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because of how you're reacting right now." Weiss replied. "I didn't want to make it seem a bigger deal than what it is. The last thing I need is you and father fighting over me again."

Natsu took a deep breath and calmed down when he saw the pleading look in sister's eyes. "Fine."

"It's not that bad." Winter assured. "He did the same thing to me when I joined the military. Though simply disobeying him wouldn't lead to something like this. What did you do?"

"That's just it." Weiss said. "I don't really know. When I tried to pay for lunch the other day my card was declined. Natsu had to cover for me."

"How embarrassing." Winter facetiously empathized.

"I know!" Weiss agreed, not catching on to her sister's sarcasm. "Why would he just cut me off like that?"

"Perhaps so you would stop acting out and call home."

Weiss' jaw clenched. In her anger she tried summoning again. Winter placed a hand on her sister's shoulder to calm her.

"Emotions may grant you strength, but you must not let them overpower you."

Weiss calmed down and the circle faded again.

"You have two choices in front you Weiss: you can either call Father, beg for his money, and once more explain why you chose to study here and not Atlas; or you can continue to explore Remnant and learn about the world…and yourself."

Weiss looked to the ground conflicted. She had never been so long without her father's money before, but at the same time she knew she wanted to make her own way in the world. If she called and begged, that would invalidate everything she had accomplished so far.

Winter saw her grimace and pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. It's almost time for me to go."

"It was really good to see you." Weiss smiled, returning the hug.

"Yeah it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Natsu grinned. Weiss elbowed him in the ribs. "Agh, I was joking."

"Natsu, could you stay behind for a moment. I want to speak with you about something."

The pinkette felt an ominous air hovering around his sister's smile. Weiss didn't seem to notice - or she didn't care.

"I'll see you back at the dorms, Natsu." Weiss took her leave.

"Wait, Weiss don't go!" Natsu reached out to her, but it was too late. She was already gone. He started to sweat and turned back to the still smiling Winter. "I-it was really good to see you. I was just joking before I-" Natsu braced himself for a hit, but was surprised when he felt Winter's arms wrap around him.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said.

The pinkette was confused. "Safe from what?"

"Weiss told me you were admitted into the hospital earlier in the year. She also said that you…died breifly."

"Oh yeah that. I was out for a little bit, but I'm way better now." Natsu smiled and flexed his left bicep.

Winter let him go. "Are you sure there are no lingering effects?"

"Yep. I'm totally healthy."

"Good." Winter grinned at her brother. "You knew Father cut Weiss off, didn't you?"

"…Yeah." Natsu guiltily admitted. "I didn't know he'd do it this early though. I thought he'd wait until she graduated or something."

"So that means you still haven't told her about your and Father's arrangement."

"I can't. If she finds out she'll be pissed. She'll think she really can't do anything on her own."

"I think she'll be more angered by the fact you gave up your freedom for her sake." Winter argued. "She thinks the world of you, Natsu. How would you feel if you were in her position?"

Natsu dropped his head. "Yeah I know it's a crummy thing to do, but please don't tell her about it, Winter. I'm begging you."

"You don't have to worry. My lips are sealed. However, that doesn't mean I agree with your decision."

"Yeah I know."

Winter grinned. "Do you know why I declined your acceptance into the military despite you passing all the exams?"

Natsu was thrown off by the sudden topic shift. "No? Not really."

"Because I knew in the long run that you would dislike it. There's a certain…mentality that I knew you didn't possess. Simply put you have no respect for authority."

Natsu grinned. "Thanks."

"That's not a compliment." Winter snorted. "I believe in General Ironwood's vision, but you don't. You and Weiss have always seen the world differently than I have, and while I may not strictly agree with your views, I respect and love you both enough to let you express them. Like Weiss, you must find your own path and follow it, Natsu. Find where you fit in this world."

"I don't know." Natsu answered. "I don't really think I really fit in anywhere, but as long as Weiss is happy I won't worry about it. I'll do what I have to."

Winter hugged her brother again, and this time he reciprocated. She didn't necessarily agree with his words, but she couldn't help but be proud of him all the same.

"You're a good brother." She smiled. "Even you are a bit of a brat."

"You're not that bad of a sister, either." Natsu joked of a grin.

"You two take care of each other."

Natsu nodded. "We will."

"And no more dust eating."

"I know." Natsu sighed.

They released the hug and Winter walked out of the terrace. "Until next time, little brother."

"Later, big sis."

Upon leaving, Natsu noticed something shining in the terrace. Upon closer inspection he saw it was a tiny ice sword. He smiled proudly and went on his way.

* * *

Natsu and Weiss waved to Winter's airship as it soared away from the school and into the night sky.

"So what did you two talk about?" Weiss asked.

"Older sibling stuff." Natsu put his hand on Weiss' head and smiled wide. "You wouldn't understand."

Weiss swiped his hand away and pouted. "You're barely a year older than me." Weiss scroll started ringing. When she looked at the screen she saw that it was their father calling. She thought of Winter's words and closed the scroll, ending the call.

"Who was that?" her brother asked. Weiss smiled at him.

"No one. Let's head back. Everyone's waiting for us at dinner."

"Awesome." Natsu rubbed his growling stomach and followed his sister. "I'm starving."

"Aren't you always?" she chuckled.

* * *

Russel Thrush ran for his life towards the mountains. The sounds of explosions ringing in his ears, he leapt behind the first piece of cover he could find - big rock. Secure for now, he looked out to the two assassins following him.

One had dark skin, a blue beret, and a rather serious appearance. She was not the problem however, it was the monster a few steps ahead of her that gave Russel pause. She had pale white skin, short orange hair, and smile that would send a chill down anyone's spine.

These were his and Sky's opponents in the doubles round: Penny Poledina and Ciel Soleil.

With a wave of her thin arm, Penny sent an assortment of swords spinning like a buzz saw towards Russel. He dove back behind the rock he used as cover, but was confused when the swords stuck into it. Surely she could have recalled them when he hid.

Penny brought out more swords and threw them at the fleeing Sky, but just like his comrade he managed to find cover. Both of them were now confused. Why didn't she finish them off?

Penny – her smile still present – looked to Ciel. When the girl tapped her watch Penny nodded and raised her arms. On her fingers were wires attached to the handles of the blades in the rocks. Russel and Sky held onto the rocks for dear life as Penny lifted them in the air. With a drop of her arms, the rocks slammed to the ground and broke apart, knocking both young men unconscious.

The buzzer sounded.

"And victory goes to Penny and Ciel of Atlas!" Oobleck announced.

"Thank you for a wonderful time." Penny bowed. A reawakened Russel reached out to her as she and Ciel walked away, but was quickly knocked unconscious again from a falling rock.

"Nice one, Penny!" Natsu cheered from the stands. "I'm gonna go congratulate her. You guys wanna come?"

"No we're fine here." Cinder politely declined. "Have fun."

Natsu shrugged and went to meet with Penny before she left the colosseum. On the way he ran into Ruby and the two soon spotted their friend just before she and Ciel entered the access tunnel.

"Penny!" Ruby called.

The robot-girl turned around. Her smile widening at the sight of her friends. "Ruby! Natsu!" She tackled both of them to the ground with a hug.

"You have to work on this greeting thing." Natsu strained, as he patted Penny's back. "My ribs can't take it."

"Yeah…" Ruby weakly agreed.

Penny let the two up and gestured to Ciel. "Friends, this is my teammate."

"Ciel Soleil." The girl introduced with short bow.

"Hi!" Ruby greeted. "I'm-"

"Ruby Rose." Ciel interrupted. "Hails from Patch. Fifteen Years old. Leader of Team RWBY. Status: questionable."

"That wasn't weird." Natsu said sarcastically.

"Natsu Schnee. Hails from Atlas…allegedly. Seventeen years old. Leader of Team CMSN. Temporary Status: Dangerous."

Penny and Ruby looked to Natsu for a rebuttal.

"I'm not that dangerous." He argued. Ruby's eyebrow started to raise.

"So…Penny, you guys were great out there. How do you control all of those swords? It's so cool-"

"Penny, I believe it's best that we move on to our next location." Ciel interrupted again, this time accompanied by a tapping of her watch.

"Could we have a minute to talk?" Penny requested.

Ciel briefly looked at her watch and took a step back. She then nodded in confirmation.

"Nice friend you got there." Natsu said.

"She is not exactly my friend." Penny corrected. "She is more like Blake...if Blake was ordered to spend time with you."

"So Weiss." Ruby offered.

"Or Emerald." Natsu added.

"Correct." Penny nodded.

"Does she know about…you know?" Ruby asked. Alluding to Penny's less than human characteristics.

"Oh no, General Ironwood doesn't want anyone to know. There was an incident with a magnet, but I managed to play it off by wearing a really big hat."

The three shared a laugh. After calming down Penny looked over to Ciel – who was still timing them with her watch.

"I am actually glad that I saw the two of you. There was something I wanted to talk about."

"Shoot." Natsu said.

Penny leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "I want to stay at Beacon."

"That sounds great." Natsu smiled. "But can you do that?"

"I don't think they will." Ruby frowned.

"I know it is a little difficult." Penny admitted before her eyes flashed with determination. "But I have a plan."

Ciel stepped towards the trio. "It has been precisely one minute, ma'am." She said to Penny, pressing her finger against her watch.

"I will talk to the two of you soon." With that Penny and Ciel entered the tunnel.

"Think whatever this plan is will work?" Natsu asked.

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know, but I hope it does. It would be nice to have her at Beacon."

"Yeah."

"Attention! The next bout will start in fifteen minutes!" Professor Port boomed over the intercom.

Ruby gasped. "We have to hurry, Natsu! Weiss and Yang fight next!"

Natsu's eyes widened. "Oh crap! I almost forgot! Let's go!"

* * *

Weiss and Yang stood in the arena awaiting their opponents.

The blonde started to stretch. "It's finally our turn."

"Just remember to keep proper form."

"Yeah. Yeah. I got it. Our opponents are from Atlas right?"

"That was my understanding."

"Well what can we expect?"

"Seeing as how the academy, government, and armed forces act as one unit; it's safe to assume we can expect to face strong militant fighters, with advanced weaponry, and tightly rehearsed strategies."

Just then a faunus girl with light red-orange hair tied in big twin tails - with blue streaks in her bangs - and a cat tail whizzed by Weiss and Yang on skates. A rainbow trail behind her, she stopped next to a dark-skinned young man in dress clothes holding a silver trumpet. This rendered Weiss' expectations completely moot.

"Or we could face whatever they are."

When Natsu saw the cat-girl his eyes widened in fear and he slowly sunk behind the balcony railing. "Oh crap. Not her…"

This caught Cinder's attention. "Is something wrong?"

"Hey!" the well-dressed boy called to Weiss. "You're Weiss Schnee right? The heiress?"

Weiss proudly answered his question. "I am." She curtsied.

"Rumor has it you're pretty good with dust."

"I try my best."

"Yeah my dad was too. Even had his own shop…till your father's company ran him out of business." The boy's friendly demeanor was gone, replaced with a hateful stare that Weiss knew all too well.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." She sincerely apologized. The boy didn't buy it.

"Sure you are."

"Wait, you're that Weiss Schnee?!" his Faunus partner asked.

"Yes?"

"Oh I knew it! You don't remember me?!"

Weiss took a harder look at the girl. After a few moments her eyes widened in disbelief. "Neon? Neon Katt?!"

"Yep!" The girl nodded. "Long time no see!"

"You know her?" Yang asked Weiss.

"In a sense. She and Natsu went to the same combat school back in Atlas. I must say she looks completely different now. She used to be very shy and…quiet."

"Well that's clearly not the case now."

"If you're here that means my stud muffin is too!" Neon exclaimed in delight. "Natsu?! Oh Natsu?! Where are you?!" Neon started skating around in search of the pinkette. Natsu did his best to remain hidden.

"It seems that you and this girl have a history." Cinder grinned.

"She's an old friend from combat school." Natsu replied.

"From the sounds of it the two of you are more than just 'old friends'."

"It's kind of complicated."

Cinder chuckled. "Of course. I understand."

"Did she just call Natsu 'Stud Muffin'?" Ruby asked Blake.

"Yep. She did."

"Think she's an ex-girlfriend or something?" Jaune inquired.

"That seems likely." Ren nodded.

"Ohhh scandalous." Nora said. Team JNPR heard a snap and turned their heads to Pyrrha. The redhead had squeezed the armrest so hard that it broke.

"You alright over there, Pyrrha?" Jaune warily asked. She offered him a wide – but frightening - smile.

"Yes. I'm perfectly fine. Let's hope that Team RWBY proves victorious in this fight."

"W-whatever you say."

"Neon!" her partner shouted. "Focus. You can find your boyfriend later."

"I'm not her boyfriend!" Natsu shouted. He immediately went back into hiding as soon as Neon turned to the rafters again.

She zipped back to her teammate. "Sorry, Flynt."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Yang began. "But Natsu already had a girlfriend."

Neon glared at the blonde. "Who? Certainly not a top heavy, extension wearing girl like you."

Yang was taken aback. "Excuse me?!"

Ruby sighed. "Bad move, roller girl."

The biome spinners stopped on Geyser, Lava, Desert, and Urban. As the countdown started, Neon and Flynt readied themselves.

"Begin!"

Flynt blew his horn, creating a sound vortex that slowly pushed back Yang and Weiss. Neon skated inside the funnel with little difficulty. Weiss summoned a glyph to stop herself, but Yang was knocked into the Urban area by the speeding Neon .

Flynt blew his horn again and Weiss launched herself forward, creating glyphs beneath her feet to walk in the funnel. When Flynt stopped blowing Weiss' momentum sped her forward. Flynt stepped aside and kicked her through a stalagmite and into the lava area.

In the urban field Neon sped through the destroyed cityscape on her rollerblades, avoiding shots from Yang's Ember Celica. Jumping from rail to rail, she continued mocking Yang by blowing a raspberrys.

"Never miss a beat. Never miss a beat." She repeated to herself. "Never miss a beat."

"Guess she still does that when she's nervous." Natsu noticed with a small smile. Just like Weiss Natsu realized that Neon was a completely different person than when they were in combat school together. Back then she was awkward, shy, and clumsy. She mostly kept to herself during classes; always listening to music and every so often talking to herself. Add to that she was a faunus most people didn't want to bother with her at all. Natsu wasn't most people.

When he asked during class one day what music she was listening to, an odd sort of friendship formed between the two until they graduated. No matter where he went in the school, Neon wasn't far behind. She'd follow him just about anywhere. It had gotten to the point where people thought they were dating, but Natsu was always quick to debunk those rumors. To him Neon was just a friend, an awkward friend, but a friend nonetheless.

Neon whacked Yang with her nunchucks from every direction whenever she skated past. After gaining some distance, Neon bent her nunchucks. They started glowing light blue. Natsu's eyes went wide.

"Yang!" He shouted. "Don't let her touch you!"

Before the blonde could react Neon zipped past her. She hit Yang's leg with her weapon, encasing the limb in ice.

"What?!" Yang gasped.

"Now you're bottom heavy too!" Neon laughed slapping her butt.

An angered Yang stomped her foot to break the ice. Neon froze her right arm with another hit. The roller girl then kicked Yang against one of the broken buildings.

"You need to cool off. Get it? Because you're angry."

Yang slammed her hand into the wall, breaking both it and the ice. _Ok. This girl is seriously annoying._

In the lava field Weiss was having her own problems. No matter what she tried she couldn't get close to Flynt. His trumpet's range was too great.

 _I have to find a way to close the distance._

Weiss summoned four glyphs and twirled around. When she stopped, out of each glyphs shot a sizable spike of ice. Flynt grinned and blew his horn into a fire pit, venting the fire to melt Weiss' ice.

"Looks like all that money couldn't buy you any skill."

Weiss gritted her teeth and switched Myrtenaster's cartridge to wind. When Flynt blew his horn she countered with her own tornado. Next she created glyphs in a circle around them. The heiress moved swiftly from glyph to glyph, shooting ice spikes that attacked Flynt from all sides.

"Alright, that's enough of that." Flynt blew his horn once more, this time splitting into four versions of himself – each one had a different colored tie and hat band. The funnels of Flynt and his clones combined into one vortex that forced Weiss back.

"Whoa." Jaune gasped.

"What the heck was that?" Natsu asked.

"That's quite the unique ability." Cinder noted.

"Doctor, care to explain?" Professor Port prompted. Oobleck pushed up his glasses.

"Of course. From the looks of it young Flynt has activated his Semblance, and from what I've seen it's a pretty remarkable one. Ladies and Gentleman feast your eyes on Flynt Coal's 'Killer Quartet'!"

Flynt looked to the holo-screen. Weiss' aura was down to forty percent. With a smirk he brought his clones back into himself and approached the downed heiress.

"Weiss, get up!" Natsu shouted. "He's coming for you!"

"I'm…trying…" she strained. She could barely move. Her body ached too much.

Neon continued to runaround the urban field. When she made it back to the center arena, Yang followed her. The blonde's eyes were now red.

"Oh. I like your eyes." The cat-girl complimented. "They're actually kinda of pretty when you're angry."

"Do you ever stop talking?!" Yang accelerated forward using Ember Celica.

Weiss was inches away from recovering Myrtenaster when Flynt showed up. He stepped on the blade, preventing her from reclaiming it. Before he could land the final blow, he and Weiss heard Yang and Neon arguing; the latter skating in a circle around her opponent.

"I'm not saying you should go a diet. I'm just saying you need to."

"Shut up!"

"You're fat." Neon looked to Flynt and he nodded.

He turned to Yang and activated his semblance. His back turned, Weiss used the opportunity to strike. She tackled Flynt's main body into an erupting geyser, deactivating his semblance.

Yang heard the tower of fire and looked over in shock.

"Weiss!" Ruby and Blake shouted.

"Weiss!" Natsu tried to dive onto the field but Cinder stopped him.

"Natsu, you mustn't go down there! If you do your sister's team will be disqualified and so will we!"

"I don't care! Let me go!"

"It appears that we've just seen a double knockout!" Port said.

"It also looks like Miss Schnee's Aura has been completely depleted. She sacrificed herself to take out Flynt. Wait, what's that?!"

From the smoke emerged an unsteady Flynt. Much to the shock of everyone.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Flynt Coal is still in the fight!" Port announced.

Yang looked to Flynt, sighing in relief when she saw Weiss behind him. She was covered from head to toe in soot, but she was alive…Yang hoped. Now it was 2 on 1.

Flynt strutted to the center arena. Neon skated over.

"You did it, Flynt! You don't have to worry about Blondie, she's easy. Also kind of annoying."

Yang prepared herself for Flynt and Neon's assault. Using the anger caused by Weiss' sacrifice, she activated her semblance. She fired two shots from Ember Celica, forcing her opponents to separate.

"Neon, go!"

The cat-girl skated in front of Flynt and he blew his horn. Yang jumped into the vortex and battled the speeding Neon. After a brief exchange Yang jumped out and started firing more shots. Neon narrowly avoided the blasts, but the disturbance in the ground made it hard for her to maneuver.

With Neon out of the way for the moment Yang charged Flynt. He activated 'Killer Quartet' but Yang used her weapons to rocket herself through the funnel. She grabbed Flynt's trumpet and fired. The recoil blew Flynt into the desert area. As well as depleted the rest of his Aura.

"Looks like a sour note for Flynt." Oobleck quipped.

Yang turned her attention to Neon. The brightly colored faunus was doing her best to navigate through cracked the geyser area, but was quickly losing control.

"Never miss a beat. Never miss a beat. Never miss a-"she tripped on a rock. "Beat?" she rolled right into a geyser as it erupted, shooting her into the sky. Yang smirked.

"Beat this." She fired a shot just as Neon hit the height of her launch. The explosion looked like fireworks. The buzzer sounded soon after, signaling victory for her team. Yang took a deep breath and deactivated her semblance. She then remembered something important.

"Weiss!" she ran to her downed teammate and lifted her to a seating position. "Are you ok? Talk to me."

The heiress coughed. "I may not be singing for a while…" she rasped.

Yang grinned. "I don't think that was proper form."

"Very funny."

"What?!" Neon shrieked. "We lost?! Team FNKI (Funky) lost?! That was…amazing! You guys were super crazy awesome! We should totally party sometime! Right, Flynt?!"

The trumpeter rose to his feet. "That was risky move, Schnee." he grinned. "I dig it."

"Good job, you two!"

Weiss and Yang watched Ruby and Blake run to them.

"Yeah! You guys were awesome!" Ruby smiled. "Another victory for Team RWBY!"

"Weiss!"

This time it was Natsu running to the girls.

"You alright?! Do you need a-oof!" the pinkette was tackled to the ground by an ecstatic Neon.

"Natsu! I knew you were here!" she lovingly rubbed her face into his chest. "I missed you so much!"

Natsu looked to Team RWBY for help, but they quickly averted their gaze as if he wasn't there.

"H-hey, Neon." Natsu greeted unsteadily. "Nice to see you too. Could you get off me now? I think you cracked a rib."

Neon looked up to him with a pout. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving Atlas?"

"It was kind of a 'heat of the moment' type of thing. I didn't tell anybody…but, I'm glad you were finally able to come out of your shell and be yourself." He patted her head and smiled softly. "I'm proud of you."

Neon blushed and laid her head back on his chest. "I'm not letting you get away from me again."

"A-actually…"

"Natsu."

A chill ran down the pinkette's spine. When he titled his head back he saw Pyrrha looking down at him. Her narrowed eyes showed that she was less than pleased with what she was seeing.

"P-P-Pyrrha!" Natsu stammered. "This isn't what it looks like! She's just an old friend and-"

"Who are you?" Neon got off of Natsu and stood toe to toe with the redhead.

"I am Pyrrha Nikos. Natsu's **girlfriend**."

Neon tried to stand her ground, but Pyrrha's presence proved to be too much for her. Reluctantly she backed away.

"You win this round, Nikos, but I will not give up that easily." She skated back to the Flynt and the two left the arena. "Natsu, will be mine!"

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Natsu smiled and made it to his feet. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

In a huff the redhead turned her back on her boyfriend and walked away.

"Pyrrha? Where are you going, Pyrrha? Pyrrha?!" Natsu chased after her.

"He's in trouble." Yang said.

"Yep." Blake and Ruby nodded in unison. Weiss sighed in exhaustion.

"Fool."

* * *

Team CMSN were minus there leader as they sat in their room. Emerald and Mercury were on the floor – the former going through her scroll and the latter doing push-ups – while Cinder sat on the bed. Going through the files they acquired from their hack, the calculating dark-haired vixen found something that got her attention.

"Oh."

"What is it?" Emerald asked. She and Mercury – who briefly stopped exercising – looked over to her.

"It's nothing." Cinder had stopped on a file titled "P.E.N.N.Y." in it was all the information pertaining to Penny Poledina…including her blueprints. "It seems we'll be making a slight…adjustment to the plan." Emerald and Mercury didn't follow.

"What's that mean?" the latter asked, resuming his workout.

"It means things will be a little easier than we thought." Cinder darkly grinned. "Although Natsu, may not like it."

* * *

The elevator to Ozpin's office opened and in walked Qrow with coffee cup in hand. Though in his case, the last thing in that mug was coffee.

"He's making you look like a fool." He said. Ozpin knew that his old friend was referring to Ironwood, nonetheless he played devil's advocate.

"James' heart is in the right place. He's just…misguided."

Qrow sipped his "coffee". "Jury's still out on if he even **has** a heart. You choose your 'Guardian' yet?"

Ozpin spun his chair to face Qrow. "Maidens choose themselves. I just believe I found the right candidate. Since the day I met her I had the feeling that she would be the one. She's strong, intelligent, caring, but most of all…she's ready."

* * *

On ground floor of Beacon Tower Pyrrha Nikos walked towards the elevator leading to Professor Ozpin's office on the top floor. After returning to the school, she was approached by Professor Goodwitch who told her that the Headmaster need to speak with her about a very urgent matter.

 _I wonder what the headmaster would need to discuss with me._

As she waited for elevator doors to open, she thought back to Natsu. She managed to give her boyfriend the slip by taking advantage of his motion sickness. When the ship they boarded laded at the school, she quickly exited before he had a chance to recover. Now that she had time to think about her actions, she felt a little guilty.

 _Perhaps I should have given him a chance to explain himself. He did say that she was old friend of his, and he didn't look very comfortable when she was on top of him._

Pyrrha sighed in disappointment at herself.

 _I overreacted. He was trying to talk to me and I just blew him off. I'm a terrible girlfriend._

The elevator door finally opened and Pyrrha stepped inside. She then pressed the button that would take her to the top floor.

"I'll apologize to him once I'm done here."

The doors closed and up she went, completely unaware that her destiny lie waiting just below her feet.

* * *

 **New chapter! When I decided to write this story, I wanted Natsu to have a past with Neon Katt. It was just something about her manic character that appealed to me, so i wanted to add to that a bit. Also wanted to expland more on the sibling dynamic between Natsu, Winter, and Weiss. I wanted to portray as a loving family, but with a tendency to butt heads on more than one occasion. Their Father wasn't around much so I wanted them mostly dependent on each other for things, with Winter taking the lead since she's the oldest.**

 **I'm almost completely done with Vol. 3. I have about 2 or so more chapters to write up and throw in drafts following the two after this one.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**

 **See you Monday!**


	30. Secrets & Lies

"What the hell, Cinder?!"

"Allow me to explain, Natsu."

"Told you he wouldn't go for it."

"Shut up, Mercury."

Emerald and Mercury watched Natsu and Cinder talk at the desk in their room. The pinkette had just returned after failing to find Pyrrha and was quite irrtated. His mood soured even more when Cinder gave hims some startling news: he would not participating in the final round of the tournament. With little to no warning Cinder told the shocked pinkette that Mercury would be moving on to the singles round for their team.

Cinder bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry that we couldn't tell you beforehand, but you left the stadium as soon the fight was over."

"You could have called me on my scroll or something!"

"You never gave me your number." Cinder countered.

"…Oh, but still this is crap! I'm the leader! I should be the one going to the next round. Not Mercury."

"Aw that hurts my feelings." Mercury smirked. "I thought you'd have more faith in me than that, 'leader'."

"Shut up."

"Believe it or not, Natsu. I was doing this for your sake." Cinder said. Her tone hardened.

"What are you talking about?"

"Admit it, you're still recovering from all the fighting you've been doing of the past couple of days. Using Meteor took enough out of you as it is, but you battled that Qrow person not thirty minutes after that fight concluded. You are not at one-hundred percent."

"I'm fine." Natsu asserted.

"I know that you **think** you are, but there's only so far willpower will take you." She placed her hand on top of his. "Give yourself time to rest. You've more than earned it after getting us this far. Let us handle the rest. You're not the only member of this team that wants to win this tournament."

Cinder's words started to sway Natsu. He felt fine, in fact he'd felt better than he had at the beginning of the tournament. If given the chance he thought that he could take on all of the single round competitors at the same time. Though despite his feelings, at the end of the day he was on a team; and it would be a combined effort from all of them that would ensure their victory.

"Fine." He accepted. "I'll sit this one out, but you better not lose, Mercury."

"Yes, sir." The silver-haired boy saluted.

"Thank you, Natsu." Cinder smiled. "We will not let your trust in us go to waste."

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna look for Pyrrha again. See you guys later."

"Good luck. I hope you find her." Cinder waved.

When Natsu stepped out of the room, she turned to Mercury and Emerald. Her smile faded into her trademark smirk.

"That went better than I thought." Mercury said.

"I don't like the way he talks to you." Emerald growled. "Why do you let him say what he pleases?"

"The same reason I let the rest of you speak your mind: control." Cinder answered. "I knew Natsu would oppose Mercury going to the final round, so I had to let him believe that he was sitting out of his own accord. It's simple psychology. Now where were we?"

Cinder looked down to her tablet and sorted through the singles round roster.

* * *

Pyrrha sat somewhat anxiously before Professor Ozpin. She still didn't know why she had been called into his office at the top of Beacon Tower, but something told her that she would not be here if it was not important.

"Well it's no surprise that you were chosen to move on to the final round of the tournament. Your exemplary performance so far speaks for itself." The Headmaster praised.

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin, but I honestly wouldn't be where I am without my teammates."

A howling laugh came from the back of the room. Pyrrha stood up from her chair and faced a man standing against the pillar near the elevators. He had pitch-black hair and unkempt stubble on his face. Pyrrha noticed that he arrived not long after she did, but she never thought to speak to him until now.

"I'm sorry. I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

"Name's Qrow." The man answered.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Qrow." Pyrrha bowed. "If you don't mind my asking, what did I say that was funny?"

"Personally, I think your team wouldn't have made it this far without **you** , but that's not what made me laugh."

"Oh? So what did?"

Qrow looked to Ozpin and smirked. "Irony."

The headmaster cleared his throat. "Qrow is a trusted colleague." he stated. "There's no need to worry. Our discussion will not leave this room." It was at this point that Pyrrha asked what had been on her mind since she was summoned.

"What discussion? Why did you call me here, Professor?"

"Please." Ozpin held out his hand towards the chair Pyrrha sat in before, and she hesitantly took a seat. "What is your favorite fairy tale?"

Pyrrha was rightfully confused by the sudden question. It had nothing to do with what she asked earlier.

"I…I'm sorry?"

"Fairy Tales." The headmaster repeated. "Stories of magic and wonder from your childhood. You must remember a few of them at least."

"Um. Ok." Pyrrha thought for a moment. "…The tale of the two brothers is one. The Shallow Sea. I was especially fond of the girl in the tower-"

"What of the 'Tale of the Seasons'?"

"Oh, of course!" Pyrrha's tone brightened and she recited the tale. "A callous old man who refused to leave his home is one day visited by four travelling sisters. The first respects his privacy and beseeches him to use his remaining time to reflect and meditate. The second brings him fruit and flowers, tends to his garden, and by doing so revitalizes his crops.

The third warms his heart and eventually convinces him to embrace the world around him. Finally, the fourth sister urges the old man to look at all he has and be thankful for it. As a reward for their kindness the man grants the maidens incredible powers so that they may help others all over the world.

The sisters graciously accept, promising to share their gifts with the people of Remnant until the end of days. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Four Maidens. My mother would always read me that story. It's her favorite."

"Would you believe me if I told you that story was told to me as well when I was a boy?"

Pyrrha chuckled. "You're not **that** old, Professor."

"Then how about this," The headmaster's eyes narrowed, his tone losing its playfulness. "Would you believe that the story of the maidens is true?"

Pyrrha tried her best to play off the now tense atmosphere. "I don't think I follow."

"If I were to tell you that there actually existed four maidens would could wield such immense powers without Dust, what would you say?"

"I…I would ask if you were referring to a Semblance."

"Actually it's more akin to…magic."

"I-"

"Don't worry." Qrow interrupted. "I thought it was crazy the first time I heard it too."

Pyrrha's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're serious? Magic?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Ozpin asked.

"…No." Pyrrha dropped her head then slowly raised it to look at Ozpin again. "Why…why are you telling me this?"

Ozpin looked to Qrow, when he gave the nod Ozpin had his answer. It was time.

"Pyrrha Nikos," he started. "We believe that **you** are the next Fall Maiden."

Pyrrha was in shock, but one of Ozpin's words briefly brought her back down to her senses. "Wait…we?"

Just then the elevator doors opened, revealing both Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood.

"Apologies for our tardiness." The General said.

"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked bewildered.

"There's no need for alarm, Pyrrha." Glynda assured. "We are still the same teachers and headmasters that you have always known."

"We just got a little part time job." Qrow added.

"We are charged with the protection of this world." Ironwood revealed.

"And we need your help to make sure this world stays safe." Ozpin said.

* * *

Pyrrha tried to make herself as small as possible as the elevator continued to descend down the shaft. The elevators in Beacon Tower were small enough on their own. Fitting at most three people comfortably; five seemed to stretch the limits of the box. Add the weight of her anxiety and the silence in the elevator, and Pyrrha felt like she was suffocating.

She briefly thought of Natsu. What would he think of all of this? Could she even tell him? He probably wouldn't believe her if she did. Unable to take the silence anymore, she spoke up.

"W-where are we going?"

"The vault." Ozpin answered.

Pyrrha was the last to walk out of the elevator when it finally opened its doors again. Tepidly following behind the adults she was astounded – and frightened – by the scenery around her. As far as her eyes could see large pillars lined the walkway they travelled. Since the only light given was by the dust lamps, Pyrrha couldn't see much of the vault past where she walked; but she could tell than it was at least twice the size the school's cafeteria. In fact it might have been the size of the school itself.

"Don't dawdle, dear."

Pyrrha realized how slow she was walking and quickened her pace until she reached Professor Goodwitch. "I'm sorry."

"It's perfectly fine. I know you must have questions."

"Maybe one or two…"

The pair caught up with the men.

"I'm still lost." Pyrrha said. "You told me that I was next to receive the maiden's power but…what does that mean?"

"The Maidens change just like the seasons they represent. No two summers – or as would be in your case Falls – are alike. When a Maiden dies her power leaves her body and seeks its next host. This ensures that the seasons are not lost, and that no individual can claim the power forever."

"How does the power choose its successor?"

"Bunch of dumbass rules and procedures."

"Qrow." Glynda hissed.

"Don't give me that look. You know it's true."

"At first the only thing that we knew was that the powers were gifted to young women." Glynda explained. "Though as time wore on the selection process became much more…involved."

That final word made Pyrrha even more nervous.

"Involved?"

"As it stands now, when a Maiden dies the first one in her thoughts is granted her power."

"Unless it's a dude or an old hag." Qrow added. "Then it chooses someone at random and our job gets that much harder."

"If that's the case then why reveal this to me now?" Pyrrha questioned. "Why not wait until I've graduated?"

"That's usually the best plan, but we don't have that luxury anymore. Don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out there. Tensions are high, Grimm are angrier and more prevalent than ever, and it won't be long before this cozy little peace we've grown accustomed to goes up in a blaze."

"Do you mean…war?" Pyrrha meekly asked.

"Not between nations." Ironwood answered.

"We'll let you in on the whole story once we know you're in for the long haul." Qrow said. "All you need to know right now is that the Fall Maiden was attacked and that for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."

The group finally came to a stop at the end of the hallway. Before them was machine – which Pyrrha identified to be of Atlas design – containing two pods. The one on the right was empty, but the one on the left housed a single occupant. A girl with shoulder-length brown hair.

"Is that…?" Pyrrha started. Ozpin sighed with regret.

"That is Amber. The current Fall Maiden."

"She's…still alive." In the broadest of terms Amber was alive, but Pyrrha knew from the beeping of the machine's heart monitor that the label was temporary.

"We're using the most advance technology Atlas has to offer to keep her stable." General Ironwood explained. "Even so there is a lot about the situation that is…unprecedented."

"What does that mean?" Pyrrha was starting to get anxious again.

Ironwood sighed. "We have no idea what will happen if…when she passes."

"Will her power not transfer to the next host?"

"Someone's been paying attention." Qrow remarked. "Only the best and brightest, right, Ozpin?"

"Normally that would be the case." Ironwood resumed. "But at present the situation is delicate. In these circumstance it's not uncommon for the thoughts of the victim be their assailant. And if that wasn't enough, no one has ever seen the powers split like this before. There's a good chance that it may just seek out it's other half."

"Her attacker." Pyrrha surmised.

"That would not be ideal…for anyone." Ozpin ominously stated.

Pyrrha steeled herself and walked to Amber's pod. Even with all the power she supposedly wielded, the Fall Maiden looked so fragile and weak. Just like the glass she was behind. The redhead focused in on the mark on Amber's face. It spread in all directions similar to a spider's web - or an in fection.

 _What kind of weapon would have caused an injury like that?_ She wondered. She placed her hand on the glass, the cold seeping in through her gloves.

"If what you say is true, then why keep this information a secret?" Pyrrha asked. "If this girl, if Amber is so important, and you truly believe we are on the brink of war…why are you hiding this? Why haven't you told anyone?"

The adults understood Pyrrha's frustrations. They had known of this for years and in the beginning they had the same concerns she had, but over time they learned to make peace with their vow of silence. It was wrong of them to assume Pyrrha would feel the same.

"From what we gathered this information was at one time known to everyone." Glynda informed.

Pyrrha had trouble believing them. "Excuse me?"

"How do you think legends and fables got their start, kid?" Qrow rhetorically asked. "Even the wildest ones got an origin somewhere." He grabbed his flask and took a drink.

"This cabal was formed to protect both humanity and the Maidens." Glynda said. "There was a time when those who desired power hunted down the Maidens for their abilities."

"And as you can expect some of the ones who succeeded weren't exactly the best recipients of 'unimaginable power'." Qrow added.

"So we chose to remove them from the public eye." Ironwood explained. "Allowing their existence to fade into legend."

"The fact that we're telling you now goes against hundreds of years of doctrine and human history." Glynda said. "Even religion."

"Telling the people now would only cause an uproar."

"Panic." Ozpin added. "And we know full well what that would bring storming through our kingdom's walls. That is why we'd like to-"

"I'll do it."

Pyrrha's sudden agreement stunned the group.

"If you say this will help humanity…then I'll become the Fall Maiden." She awaited some sort of answer from the adults, but received only silence. It was baffling. "That is what you wanted right?"

"It is..." Ozpin nodded. "But sadly things are not as simple as you 'wanting' it. Due to the state she is in you will be unable to inherit Amber's power naturally. However, General Ironwood claims he has found a solution to the problem." Ozpin looked his way and General stepped forth.

"Atlas has been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint for the past number of years." He said. "We've made…significant strides in determining how it is used, how it works, and what it's made of. Using this information we believe we've devised a way to capture it."

"Take it out and cram it into something else." Qrow clarified. "Or in your case…"

After a moment Pyrrha realized what he was in insinuating. "That's-"

"Classified." Ironwood interrupted.

"Wrong!" she argued.

"You're not the only one who thinks so." Glynda said, her pointed glare on the General. "But we don't have a choice in the matter."

"The situation is dire." Ironwood said. "We're unable to give you Amber's power, but we can give what the power is **bound** to."

"Her aura." Pyrrha uttered.

"Her very life would be intertwined with yours." Ozpin explained. "Which begs the question…"

"What is that gonna do to you?" Qrow finished.

Pyrrha looked down in thought. She hadn't considered the consequences that far in advance. Ozpin noticed her determination waning.

"The decision before you, Miss Nikos, is an important one. There is no guarantee that this transfer process will be a success. Nor is there anyway of knowing if you will be the same person if it does. I would take the time to seriously think about your next course of action, but I must also warn you that we need an answer before the conclusion of the Vytal Festival."

Pyrrha looked back to Amber. _My life and hers…connected for all time?_ The burden was much heavier than she thought.

"Amber's assailant has already made their first move. There's no telling when they will strike next. Come. It's time we departed."

Pyrrha looked at Amber a few moments longer before following the adults back the way they came, her hand sliding down the glass of the pod.

* * *

When Pyrrha exited Beacon Tower her mind couldn't be farther away. Before leaving Ozpin told her not to tell anyone of their conversation. Pyrrha readily agreed. Secret cabals, Fall Maidens, imminent war, all of it was too much for her take in. How **could** she tell anyone else?

 _Why me?_ She thought. J _ust what makes me so special that I deserve that kind of power and responsibility? It's too much._

When she reached the bottom of the stairs she bumped into someone.

"Oh I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going-" When Pyrrha saw who she had bumped into her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened in shock. "Natsu?"

The pinkette smiled down at her. "Finally found you."

Pyrrha took a step back. "How did you know where I was?"

"I ran into Jaune. He told me that Ozpin wanted to see you so I came here." He saw the apprehensive look on his girlfriend's face and frowned slightly. "Is that ok?"

"Y-yes! It's fine! I'm sorry. I'm just a little out of sorts."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Oh…"

The couple faced one another in an awkward silence. They were on two completely different planes. Natsu knew there was something Pyrrha wasn't telling him, but he didn't want to force her to speak on it if she didn't want to. So instead he started with the reason he was looking for her in the first place.

"I'm sorry."

"Hm?" Pyrrha looked to him. "Sorry for what?"

"Earlier. With Neon. It wasn't what it looked like. She tackled me to the ground and…actually that's not really important. She's just an old friend. There's nothing going on between us. I swear."

Pyrrha smiled softly for the first time that day. "I know."

Natsu titled his head. "You do?"

She nodded. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I overreacted. It was clear that you were uncomfortable with her being on top of you. I should have given you the chance to explain yourself instead of storming off. It was immature of me, and I apologize. I should have had more faith in you."

Natsu scratched the back of his head embarrassed. "You didn't overreact. I mean if I caught you like that with another guy…" he started to blush. "I probably would have done the same thing. That or kicked his butt."

Pyrrha snickered before laughing softly to herself. Natsu followed suit.

"I'll keep that in mind." Pyrrha smiled. "I accept your apology."

"Thanks. So…you wanna get some dinner?" Natsu stretched his hand out to her. "The restaurant is having a special today."

Pyrrha reached out, but stopped just before her fingers touched his. In actuality she wanted nothing more than to go with him. If anything could take her mind off of what just happened it was Natsu, but Pyrrha felt that she needed time to sort everything out. She recalled her hand.

"I'm sorry, but not tonight. I'm very tired. I think I'll just go to my room and rest up for tomorrow."

"Oh ok. I'll walk with you to the dorm."

"Actually…I want to be alone for a little while. If that's ok."

The words hit Natsu like a ton of bricks. He dropped his hand to his side. He and Pyrrha were close enough to touch, but she felt a world away. Her normally straight posture was slightly slack, and her smile was hollow. It was like someone had taken all of her energy away.

"Yeah. Sure." Natsu accepted.

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya."

With a small wave and heavy hearts the couple separated, Natsu watching as Pyrrha shrank in the distance.

Ozpin watched the affair from the camera monitor in his desk. Qrow stood next to him.

"Did you know?" he asked.

"I had chosen Pyrrha as soon as she entered the school." Ozpin answered. "Her becoming involved with Natsu was…an unforeseen complication."

"Why didn't you try and stop them?"

"It's not my place to interfere in the romantic lives of anyone, much less my students. I'm not a tyrant."

"Yeah? Well maybe a tyrant is what we need right now. At this rate, both of those kids are going to get hurt…in more ways than one." Qrow took a drink and walked towards the elevator.

Once Qrow was gone Ozpin sat alone in his office. His eyes focused on Natsu, he took a deep sigh and bowed his head.

"Forgive me. Both of you."

* * *

The crowd was in a frenzy for the start of the final round of the tournament. All around Amity Colosseum the crowd's energy coalesced into an eager atmosphere that permeated throughout. However in the sea of excitement there was one stone of apathy: Natsu Schnee.

Normally he would be chomping at the bit for the start of the action, but the last twelve hours had not been kind to him. His team had all but banned him from competing and Pyrrha had been avoiding him all day. Suffice to say he wasn't in the best mood to be around.

"Are you sure you want to be here?" Cinder asked. "I know you're still upset about yesterday."

"I'm fine." Natsu curtly replied. "Don't worry. I'll get over it."

"As you wish."

"Now for the moment you've all been waiting for! Welcome to the final day of the Vytal Festival!"

Professor Port's announcement riled up the crowd even more. The eight participants stood in the middle of the arena. The only one's Natsu recognized were Mercury, Yang, Penny, Sun, and Pyrrha.

"Barty, why don't you explain the rules?"

Doctor Oobleck pushed up his glasses. "It's actually quite simple, Peter. In place of a bracket system the matches will be determined immediately before they take place."

"Just like any good hunt there be no time to prepare."

"Correct. Now let's see who the first match will be!"

As the roulette spun the crowd held their collective breaths. When it stopped, the first fight of the finals was decided: Yang Xiao Long of Team RWBY versus Mercury Black of Team CMSN.

"Break a leg, sis!" Ruby shouted from the stands.

Cinder rose from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Natsu asked.

"Restroom. I'll be back shortly." she smiled.

"Will all non-combatants please leave the stage?!"

The other finalists left at Port's request, leaving only Yang and Mercury. The center platform raised in the air, creating a small arena that was illuminated by spotlights.

"No offense, but after all that big talk I'm kinda bummed that Natsu isn't here." Yang said.

"We thought he needed a break." Mercury replied with a grin. "Don't worry. I'll try not to disappoint you."

The countdown began, and the pair inched closer to one another.

"Begin!"

The battle started at a fast pace. With barely a second in, Yang and Mercury were already countering each other's strikes. Mercury had the edge in speed and reach due to his long legs, but Yang more than exceeded him in power.

Every strike was answered with a counter that was in turn countered. The spectators could barely keep up.

"He's way better than when he sparred with Pyrrha." Ruby noted. Natsu noticed something different.

 _Why is he holding back? He's stronger than this when we fight._

Mercury nearly fell out of bounds after a few shots from Yang's weapon, but he used the dust in his boots to launch himself back to the arena. He forced Yang back and fired a blast – which she barely avoided.

"That was close." She said.

Mercury started to fire blasts in a circle. Yang bobbed and weaved and inched closer to Mercury, but she failed to notice that the blasts were forming a vortex around her. Mercury slammed her to the ground and jumped back, allowing the shots he fired earlier to fall on her like a hail of bullets.

Mercury dusted himself off and walked away. "Easy."

An explosion erupted behind him and from the dust rose Yang – her eyes now red. She charged Mercury with a flurry of blows, ending with a combo to the body – that dispersed his aura – and the face. Mercury slammed to the ground and the buzzer sounded.

"What an amazing start to the finals!" Port commentated.

The platform lowered.

"Yang Xiao Long wins!" Doctor Oobleck announced. Team RWBY praised from the stands.

"You did it, sis!" Ruby cheered.

"Great job, Yang!" Blake congratulated.

Weiss clapped for her victory as well, but when she looked to her brother she couldn't but feel a bit sorry for him.

Natsu sat in his seat in a slump. "Should have let me fight instead." He pouted. He looked to the seat next to him, it was still empty. "Cinder's still not back yet? Maybe I should go check on her." Natsu got up from his seat and started to walk when he heard a whistle. "What was that?" Just then a familiar smell wafted past Natsu's nose. "Mint?"

The colosseum fell silent. As if it had been pulled into another space. "What's going on?" Natsu turned to the arena, his ears picking up on a conversation between Yang and Mercury.

"Maybe you should have let Natsu fight after all." Yang joked. "Better luck next time." She walked away.

"There's not gonna be a next time, Blondie!" Suddenly Mercury attacked. Yang turned and prepared to strike.

"Mercury! Stop!" Natsu shouted. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Yang punched Mercury in the knee to stop him. The young man fell to the ground and cried out in pain, eliciting a gasp of horror from crowd.

"What was Mercury doing?" Natsu questioned. "Why did he attack Yang after the fight was over?"

"My word!" Oobleck shouted in shock.

"Cut the cameras!" Port ordered.

"My leg!" Mercury cried out, rocking back and forth. "My leg!"

"You're lucky I didn't do worse, you little…" before Yang finished she was surrounded by Atlas military robots and soldiers. "What's going on?"

"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" One of the men ordered.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Mercury!" Emerald ran to his side, her face shrouded with worry.

"Emerald?!" Natsu gasped. "What's she doing down there…wait." His eyes started to widen. _The mint smell…_

"Why did she do it?!" Mercury cried to Emerald. "Why'd she attack me?!"

Emerald glared at Yang. The blonde started respond, but something told her to look to the holo-screen hovering above. What she saw shocked her. It showed Mercury on his knees in defeat after the match...right before Yang mercilessly shot him in the leg.

The crowd was aghast, as was Natsu.

"That's not what I saw." he uttered.

Yang looked around in horror. Everyone in the crowd was either surprised or disgusted at what they had just seen. Even her friends were shocked at the footage. The jeers and boos from the crowd became deafening. Yang could barely herself think.

 _No._ she argued in her mind. _I didn't do it! He attacked me! I was just…_

She looked to Mercury and Emerald. The boy was still screaming in pain.

"Please!" Emerald desperately shouted. "Someone help him!"

A medic team ran onto the floor with a stretcher.

"Can you help him?!" Emerald pleaded.

"This boy needs to go to a hospital." One of the medics said to his colleague. "Get him a blanket." When the second medic returned they placed Mercury on the stretcher and ran him out of the arena. Emerald wasn't far behind.

She glanced to the balcony, a chill running down her spin when she noticed Natsu's fiery glare focused on her.

"Wait you got it wrong!" Yang said the soldiers. "He attacked me!"

"Silence!" the captain of the squad ordered. He raised his weapon. "You've caused enough trouble as it is!"

* * *

The medics rushed through the colosseum tunnel. When they passed by an open loading dock they saw another medic waiting for them – this one a young woman.

"We have an ambulance ready to go." She said. "Bring him here."

The two men passed Mercury to her and Emerald followed. When the ambulance ship door closed, the vehicle took off.

"Give it to me straight, doc…will I ever walk again?" Mercury weakly asked. Emerald punched him in the arm and he sat up. "The heck was that for?"

"Headache." She groaned, placing her hand on her throbbing forehead. "Took a lot of focus to cast that with so many people around."

"You both performed admirably." Cinder - who was revealed to be the female medic – praised. "The driver as well."

Seated next to Cinder in the pilot's seat was a disguised Neopolitan, who nodded with a grin. When Cinder looked back to Mercury and Emerald, saw the perplexed look on the latter's face.

"Is something the matter, Emerald?"

"No, ma'am." she answered. "Just need some rest."

"Then rest. You earned it."

"Thank you." Emerald laid down on the bench and closed her eyes, but all she could see was Natsu's heated stare. _Was he pulled into the illusion too?_

"So…" Mercury prompted. "Think it worked?"

"We'll have to wait and see." Cinder answered with a confident smirk.

The stolen ambulance soared through the night sky as the boos from the colosseum grew louder.

* * *

 **New Chapter! Somewhat the same as canon minus few scenes here and there. I know some people may be upset that Natsu didn't fight in the finals, but the way I see it Cinder has earned enough of Natsu's trust where she could manipulate him to sit out if she claimed she was worried about his health. Though its clear she was going to abuse that trust.**

 **I also tried to add a but more depth to the reveal of Amber and the Maidens, as well as what this would do to Pyrrha's relationship with Natsu. That will be expanded on later.**

 **As always, leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading and see you Friday! :)**

 **Edit: an error in how Emerald's abilities work was brought to my attention. I apologize for the mistake and hope a minor correction fixes things. I'll try and be more carefult next time.**


	31. Dark Revelations

"A terrible tragedy took place yesterday afternoon during the one-on-one rounds of the Vytal Festival-"

"I don't know what the Beacon Headmaster is teaching his students, but that display was disgraceful and completely uncalled for. If they do that to their own, there's no telling what they would do to kids from the other schools."

"Despite receiving aid from Atlas Military personnel, local law enforcement and officials are still requesting help from any available Huntsmen and Huntresses to help suppress the steady rise of Grimm activity."

Emerald turned off the holo-screen, much to Mercury's – who was recalibrating his prosthetic - displeasure.

"I was watching that."

"Shut up."

"Is this how you treat a patient? Your bedside manner needs some work."

Emerald twisted the screwdriver in Mercury's leg.

"Agh! Too tight!"

"Silence." Cinder appeared from the shadows. "Mercury put on a riveting performance." She praised. "He was very brave."

The group had found themselves shelter in an unknown room filled with shipping containers. The heat had yet to die down from the previous day, but that was exactly what they hoping for.

"What's next?" Emerald asked.

"You and I will make sure the next match goes as planned. Just like this one." Cinder replied.

"…Understood."

Cinder took notice of Emerald's hesitation. "Is there something wrong?"

"N-no, ma'am. It's nothing."

Cinder slowly approached Emerald. "Really? You've been acting quite odd since leaving the colosseum. Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Emerald started to back up, eventually she was stopped by one of the shipping containers. Cinder loomed over her. "No. There isn't. I swear." Emerald continued to deny.

"Don't lie to me, Emerald. You know that I cannot stand a liar." When Cinder's right eye started to glow the mint-haired thief finally confessed.

"It's Natsu."

"What about, him?" Cinder prompted.

"I…I think he was somehow caught in my illusion."

"And just what makes you say that?" Cinder interrogated. "You usually have much better control over your semblance. How was caught in it as well?"

"I don't know. I-in the colosseum…he was the only person who saw what the blonde did, and he looked really angry afterward. I don't really know how else to explain it."

"What are we going to do now?" Mercury asked. He was now a little worried. "I mean him seeing the illusion was only a fluke right?"

"Perhaps." Cinder walked away from Emerald. "We proceed as planned."

"But, Natsu knows about my Semblance and Mercury's legs." Emerald reminded. "He'll no doubt be looking for us."

"He could ruin everything." Mercury pointed out.

"That is precisely why Mercury is to stay here and not cause any unwanted suspicion." Cinder explained. "Even if Natsu were to get one other person to believe his tale about the 'boy with the metal legs and the girl illusionist' he has no proof to back it up." Cinder turned back on the holo-screen. The report on the migrating Grimm from Mountain Glenn was ongoing.

"The wheel has already started turning. The Grimm are on the move, and with one more push they will bring Ozpin's 'utopia' crashing down around his ears. So even if Natsu was not completely affected by our ruse…" Cinder smirked evilly. "It's much too late for him to do anything about it."

* * *

Team RWBY sat in their room crestfallen as General Ironwood stood before them. All day the only things they heard were the complaints and displeasure from a majority of the spectators watching yesterday's fight. No matter where they turned Yang was met with hate or fear.

"I wish there was another way, but you've left us no choice." The General said.

"But he attacked me!" Yang asserted.

"Video footage and millions of witnesses suggest otherwise."

"But Yang would never do something like that!" Weiss defended. Ruby agreed.

"Yeah!"

Yang sighed into her hands. Blake remained silent.

"The four of you appear to be good students." Ironwood sympathized. "And the staff at this school know that would not normally lash out the way you did, but my belief - my hope – is that this was nothing more than the results of stress and adrenaline. In the battlefield your judgement and vision can become clouded without you realizing it. As a result you may simply see things that aren't there…even after the fight has ended."

"But-"

"That's enough!" Ironwood cut Yang off. "The truth of the matter is that whether the incident was an accident or an assault is irrelevant at this point. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already made their judgements. So, in lieu of these events I regret to inform you…that you are disqualified from the tournament. Effective immediately."

The shock of the news was so great that no one spoke a word. Ironwood excused himself, the AK-200s he posted at the door remaining on guard duty.

"You guys believe me…don't you?"

Yang's question sound more like a plea for help.

"Duh." Her sister answered.

"You may be hot-headed and foolhardy, but you're far from ruthless." Weiss added.

Yang turned to Blake. The faunus had been silent during the entirety of Ironwood's edict. When her eyes finally met with the distraught blonde's, she turned away.

"I…I want to believe you." She finally said.

Ruby gasped.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Weiss demanded.

Tears started to form in Yang's eyes. "…Blake?" The faunus still couldn't look her friend in the eye.

"How could you say something like that?" Weiss scolded. "Yang would never lie to us."

Blake sighed. "Someone very dear to me changed a long time ago. It wasn't in an instant. It was slow...gradual. Little choices here and there started to pile up, but he told me not to worry. First they were 'accidents'. Then it was 'self-defense'. It wasn't long before I started to take his word for it.

This situation…it's just familiar to me. But…you're not him. This is the first time you've ever done something like this. So I'm going to trust you.' Blake finally looked at Yang head on. "But before I do you have to tell me, promise me that he attacked you first and you regret what you did."

Yang wiped away her tears. "He came at me after the fight was over, and I protected myself. That's the truth."

Blake smiled. "That's all I needed to hear. Thank you."

"I think I'm going to get some rest." Yang said. The rest of her team stood up from their beds.

"We'll give you some time." Blake said. With that they left the room.

"This is a mess." Weiss sighed. Team JNPR's door opened and Jaune stepped out, his team not far behind – they were concerned as well.

"How is she?"

"She's managing." Blake answered.

"I heard Mercury was rushed back to Haven to be with his family. Apparently he's from there. Emerald and Cinder went with him. Until they land no one can question him about what happened." Ruby informed.

"What about Natsu?" Jaune asked next.

Weiss shook her head. "We haven't seen him all day."

"I imagine he's upset that one of his teammates got hurt." Ren noted.

"Yeah." Ruby dropped her head. "But he knows Yang wouldn't do anything like that on purpose...I hope."

"Of course he knows that." Weiss retorted. "Perhaps you've seen him, Pyrrha?"

"Hm?" the redhead looked over to the group from her bed. She had completely checked out of the conversation long before it started.

"Natsu." Weiss repeated. "Have you seen him anywhere?"

"Oh. No…I haven't."

"That's weird. Where could he be?"

"If you need our help, don't hesitate to ask." Ren offered.

"That's ok." Ruby reassured. "We can find him, but, Pyrrha."

The redhead looked up again. "Yes?"

"Be sure to win one for Beacon, ok?"

"It would make Yang happy." Weiss smiled.

Pyrrha looked away for a brief moment, when she faced the group again she was smiling. "I'll do my best."

Jaune realized that her smile was a hollow one. She had been out of it all day. At first he thought it was nerves because of the tournament, but slowly he realized that it was something much deeper.

"I'll make sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!" Ruby shouted. "And don't worry we'll make sure Natsu is watching too!"

"T-thank you." Pyrrha nodded.

"I suppose we should look for him now." Weiss sighed. "There's no telling what kind of trouble he will get into on his own."

"You're right." Blake nodded with a grin.

"Then let's go!" Ruby lead her team down the hall. When they were out of sight, Jaune closed the door.

Pyrrha was brought out of her melancholic thoughts by a shout from Nora.

"You heard the lady! No more feeling sorry for yourself! We've gotta get you in tip-top shape for your fight!" For some reason Nora had changed into her gym clothes and started exercising. "It could be today, or tomorrow! It could be the most important fight of your life!" She lifted a two-thousand pound barbell – that had mysteriously appeared on the floor – and fell over.

This did little to bring Pyrrha out of her mood. In fact it only served to confuse her even more.

"Ummm…."

"Nora is right."

Pyrrha looked to Ren. He was standing next to the closet, sporting an apron that read "Please Do Nothing To The Cook".

"You can't let your concerns about Yang and Natsu hold you back." He said. "You must focus on defending the honor of Beacon Academy."

"You're right." Pyrrha acknowledged. "I-"

Ren thrust a glass holding a mysterious green liquid towards his teammate's. From the way sloshed in the glass, Pyrrha likened more to sludge than anything drinkable. It also smelled terrible. She felt that her nose would abandon her face altogether if she smelled it any longer than she had to. It was also bubbling. Pyrrha believed that most drinks were not supposed to do that.

"This blend of herbs and vegetables is essential to your body's overall health." Ren explained.

"Oh!" Pyrrha said with fake appreciation. "That is-"

"There's no need for thanks." Ren beamed.

"Thank you?" Nora retched. "That stuff looks like slime from the bottom of a lake."

"Algae is packed with numerous beneficial properties. Try it." He held the glass to Nora and she hesitantly took a sip. In an instant her face turned a sickly green and she threw her head into the nearest trashcan. The sounds of her vomiting echoed in the room. Pyrrha stifled a chuckle.

"Are you crazy?!" Nora shouted at Ren.

"I'm crazy? You're the one who wasted a perfectly good drink."

"We're supposed to be helping Pyrrha! Not poisoning her!"

"There was nothing wrong with the juice."

"If looks the same going in as it does coming back up then there is definitely something wrong!"

"Alright, guys, break it up." Jaune separated the pair. "Let's go take a walk, huh?"

* * *

Yang sat alone in Team RWBY's room. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't get any rest. She kept flashing back to the fight with Mercury. She swore that he attacked first, but the footage showed something totally different. _I know he attacked me first._ She looked out of the open window to try and get her mind off of things. Down on the courtyard path she saw Team JNPR walking somewhere.

"I wonder where they're going."

"Hey, firecracker."

Yang nearly jumped at the voice calling to her. She calmed down when she recognized who it was.

"Hey, Qrow."

"So…why'd you do it?"

"You know why." Yang retorted. She was in no mood for her uncle's jokes today.

"What I 'know' is that about a million people saw you hurt an innocent kid." He moved from his place against the wall and walked to his niece. "So you're either lying, or you're crazy."

"I'm not lying." Yang stated emphatically.

"Crazy then. Good to know."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"And I thought your black-haired friend was the emo one."

There was a brief silence.

"…I saw my mom." Yang said. She held her head down, her eyes focused on the floor.

"I was in trouble. Took a really bad hit. When I came to the person I was fighting was gone, and I thought I finally saw…her. Her sword. It was the same as the one in you and Dad's old picture." She looked to her uncle, her eyes pleading for some sort of answer.

Qrow snorted. "You're not crazy, Yang." He smiled. "That was your mom, and if I had to guess she didn't say anything, did she?"

"How did you know that?"

"I don't see as much of my sister as I'd like, but she tries to keep in touch every now and again."

"Hold on. You actually talk to her? I wasn't hallucinating?"

"Nope. That was real. She gave me a tip on my most recent assignment, and she wanted me to give you a message."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Yang implored.

"I was waiting for the right time. This obviously wasn't it though. Still, you deserved to know. She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again." Yang dropped her head. "Raven and I don't really see the world the same way. She's also very dangerous, but you're a tough nut, kid.

Don't let this tournament fiasco get you down. You got jammed up. Sometimes things just go down like that. I say it's best you move on."

"Move on to what?" Yang asked.

"Raven let some info 'slip' last time I talked to her. If you ever wanna track her down, I might be able to help you out."

Yang didn't answer right away.

Qrow grinned. "You don't have to rush. Go at your own pace." He ruffled her hair. "You ever get ready, you know how to reach me." He made his way to the door. "See ya later, Yang."

"Bye, Uncle Qrow."

When Qrow entered the hall his smile faded. Yang wasn't the only person Raven had a message for. She left one for Natsu as well. It was an apology. In reality the information Raven revealed to him was for both Natsu and Yang to find her. In the end Qrow told only Yang. Natsu didn't seem to remember Raven, and if Qrow was being honest with himself, he thought it best if it stayed that way.

As Yang contemplated what to do next, another visitor appeared. This one diving inside of her window.

"Look out!"

"N-Natsu?!" Yang nearly fell from the bed in shock as the pinkette soared past her. "What are you doing in here?!"

"Hiding! Please, Yang?! You gotta help me out!"

"Hiding? From who?"

"Them."

Natsu pointed to the window and Yang looked out. She saw a group of reporters and cameramen running through the courtyard.

"Reporters?" Yang questioned.

"They've been following me all day asking me about Mercury injury. It's really annoying. I've hardly had any time to myself. I wish they'd just leave me alone."

"You have your own room to sneak in you know."

"Yeah, but the window is locked and I didn't feel like breaking in."

Yang sighed and watched along with Natsu as the reporters scrambled. They looked like mice searching for cheese. "I thought you'd be used to this kind of thing since you're a Schnee and all." She joked.

"I didn't really do all of that interview stuff when I was a kid. I barely left the house so most people didn't even know who I was."

"That must have been convenient."

"Kinda. So, who were you talking to earlier?"

"How do you know I was talking to someone?"

"I may have been outside the window longer than you think." Natsu admitted with a nervous blush.

Yang sighed again. "My Uncle Qrow."

"Oh! The drunk guy."

"…Yeah him." Yang replied. She couldn't argue with the pinkette's description.

"I knew that voice sounded familiar. What were you two talking about?"

"You're really nosey all of a sudden."

"Sorry. Just curious. You don't have to tell me if ya don't want."

Yang saw the somewhat pleading look in Natsu's eyes and gave in. "We were talking about my mom. Qrow was telling me where I could find her."

"She lost or something?"

"You could say that. I haven't seen her since I was a baby. She…left me."

"Oh…" Natsu dropped his head in apology. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." She waved off. "I've gotten over it."

Natsu could tell that she was lying. "Are you going to look for her?"

Yang looked down at her hands and started to fidget. "I don't know. I've wanted to find her for so long, but now…I don't think I'm ready. What if she doesn't want to see me? I mean she had to leave for a reason right? What if I wasn't good enough for her?"

"Well you won't know unless you find and ask her, right? I was adopted so I don't know anything about my real parents, but if someone came along and told me where I could find them I think I'd go."

Yang looked to Natsu. He was flashing that trademark wide smile of his. That never failed to brighten her mood.

"You're a really optimistic guy, you know that?"

"Thanks…I guess." Natsu didn't know what that word meant, but it didn't seem bad so he went along with it. When he saw that the coast was clear, he stepped onto the window ledge. "I should get goin."

"Natsu, wait."

The pinkette looked over his shoulder to his friend. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened with Mercury."

Natsu looked at Yang for a few seconds, his eyes narrowing before looking back out of the window.

"You're mad, and you have every right to be, but I didn't do it on purpose I swear! He attacked me an-"

"I know."

Those two words brought Yang's explanation to a screeching halt. "What?"

"I saw the whole thing."

Yang leapt from her bed and hugged Natsu's back tightly, the sudden attack almost knocked them both out of the window.

"Yang! Calm down!" Natsu shouted in fright. "You're gonna make us fall!"

The blonde released Natsu and sat back on the bed, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry. It just feels good for someone to believe me for once. I thought I was losing my mind."

"That's not what I mean..." Natsu said ominously. "Yang, you did attack Mercury...but it wasn't in self-defense. He wasn't doing anything."

Yang was shocked. "But you just said that-"

"I'm not done yet. Yeah you attacked Mercury, but it wasn't your fault...at least not completely. Somebody tricked you."

"Tricked me? But who could do that?"

Natsu sat on the window ledge and took a breath. "Emerald."

Yang was still confused.

"Tell me. Right before Mercury came at you did you hear a like a whistle or a jingling noise or something?"

Yang thought for a moment. "Yeah. So? What's that got to do with Emerald?"

"It's her semblance." Natsu answered. "I still don't really know how she does it, but she makes some kind of sound. One that you really notice if you heard it, like a whistle or that ringing in your ears you randomly get. When her target hears it, she can create illusions that feel like the real thing to that person. That's why we saw something different than what actually happened."

"Ok. I'm still not following. Why would she cast an illusion on us?"

"I don't think she meant to pull me in. It probably just happened because we've been training as a team for so long. I somehow heard the sound and got pulled into illusion. I don't think it will happen again though. As for why she wanted to cast it on you, I haven't figured that part out yet."

"So she sacrificed Mercury's leg just to disqualify my team so we wouldn't win? That doesn't make any sense. I know you guys were upset about losing, but that's going too far."

"That's not why." Natsu said. "It's much deeper than that I think. Also, you didn't hurt Mercury when you attacked him. His legs are fake."

Yang's eyes widened in shock. "Their what?!"

"Yeah. From the knee down his legs a proto…prostitu…progno-"

"Prosthetics." Yang finished.

"Yeah that! They're made of metal."

"What the hell? Why would they do all of this? Do you think Cinder's involved?"

Natsu nodded. "Probably. Those three were together before I joined them. So it makes sense that whatever their plan was she knows about it, and since they're gone I can't question them about it."

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

Natsu shook his head. "I haven't had time. Those freaking reporters kept chasing me, but I should head out before they circle back."

"I have one more question."

"Shoot."

Yang eyes narrowed. "Did you know this was going to happen? Were you in on it?" Yang knew her accusation could backfire, but she just had to know. Natsu looked her straight in the eye and gave his answer.

"No. I had no idea what they were doing. I swear."

"Ok." Yang nodded with a smile. "I had a feeling you didn't, but I just had to be sure. Where are you going now?"

"I'm gonna find Ironwood and tell him about Mercury and Emerald. Even a hardass like him has to know something fishy is going on."

"Why don't you just call the emergency number?" Yang suggested. "All the students got it before the tournament started right?"

"I tried that. Apparently the lines are clogged up because of the recent Grimm attacks." Natsu looked to Yang one last time before leaving, his eyes burning with determination. "Don't worry, Yang. I promise I'll clear your name." With that he jumped out of the window.

Yang looked out, watching with a soft smile as Natsu ran down the pathway.

"You're a lucky girl, Pyrrha."

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos sat alone against the outside wall of the cafeteria. Her head buried in her knees. Contrary to Jaune's best efforts, a "walk" was the last thing Pyrrha needed. When she looked around at all of the people walking about, it made her decision to become the Fall Maiden all the more cumbersome. As the Fall Maiden she would be tasked with protecting everyone from threats they didn't even know existed. It was a huge undertaking, and she was finally starting to crumble from the pressure of it.

Upon seeing a browned leaf fall from a tree in front of her she thought of Amber. Pyrrha thought of how the current Maiden was barely clinging to life, trapped undergorund in that suffocating pod. Praying for some type of relief, Pyrrha was answered by the sight of her boyfriend.

Natsu was walking by just beyond the bushes, completely unaware of close he was to the redhead. Pyrrha desperately wanted to meet with him, but for the past couple of days she went out of her way to avoid him. It hurt her. Without realizing it, she called out his name.

"Natsu…"

The pinkette's ears perked up and he looked towards cafeteria. When he saw Pyrrha he decided to put his search for Ironwood on hold for the moment.

"Hey." He said as he approached.

"Hello." She replied sadly.

"…Can I sit down?"

Pyrrha nodded and Natsu took a seat next to her. The couple sat in silence for what felt like hours. Normally they would have engaged in conversation, but things were so awkward that neither one knew what to say at this point. Pyrrha's secret had formed a wall that Natsu had no way to climb. Regardless he would try.

"You made it to the final round. Congratulations. You really deserve it. I would have told you earlier, but reporters were chasing me around all day." Natsu smiled softly. "They kept asking me about Mercury. I had to hide in Team RWBY's room just to get away."

"Thank you." Pyrrha nodded. "I'm…sorry about what happened to Mercury. I hope he makes a full recovery."

"Yeah…me too." The reason Natsu hoped for Mercury's return was much different than Pyrrha's, but she didn't need to know that right now.

Jaune came around the corner with a stick of cotton candy for Pyrrha, when he saw Natsu sitting with her he quickly scrambled back to the side of the building he came from. He saw Ren and Nora walk from the opposite end and gestured – rather clumsily – that they give the two some space. They got the hint, and the trio left Natsu and Pyrrha alone to talk.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Pyrrha looked to Natsu. "Huh?"

"Whatever's bothering you; I'm not gonna force you to tell me. I'll stay here as long as you want. Until you're ready to talk."

Pyrrha smiled and grabbed Natsu's hand. It was so warm. She then rested her head on his shoulder. She missed his warmth. She missed his smoky sweet smell. She missed **him**. "Are you sure?" she asked with a soft smile. "It could be a little while."

Natsu shrugged. "I don't have anything else to do right now. So yeah, I think I'm good."

Slowly the wall between them started to come down, but when Pyrrha saw another leaf fall next to the one from earlier it quickly went back up. _Is this really ok?_ She thought. _Amber might have had someone special to her as well. Maybe she had a family, or a sibling…or a lover._ _She had to leave them all behind to become the Fall Maiden, and now...she's in that state._

"I…I don't know what to do." Pyrrha finally said. She removed her head from atop her boyfriend's shoulder.

"About what?"

Pyrrha looked for the right words to say. In truth she wanted to tell Natsu everything. The truth of the Maidens. Ozpin's faction. Amber. She just wanted to pour everything out to him in a desperate attempt to attain some clarity. She wanted Natsu – or anyone for that matter – to help her make this decision. It was too big for herself. But Ozpin's instructions were clear. No one outside of her and his faction was supposed to know. So instead Pyrrha tried a different way to get an answer.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Destiny?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I don't mean a predetermined fate you can't escape, more like a final goal that you work towards."

"Well if you put it like that, then yeah. I think I do." Natsu didn't fully understand the concept, but he tried to make sense of it for Pyrrha's sake. "Is that why you've been so down lately? Because of your 'destiny'?"

The redhead didn't respond right away. "…Sort of. It's just so confusing. If something unexpected happened, something that stood in the way of you and your destiny, what would you do?"

"I-"

"Or what if you could reach your goal in an instant, but in the process lose everything that matters to you?!"

Pyrrha's increasingly erratic tone started to worry her boyfriend.

"Calm down for a minute. What are you talking about?"

Pyrrha shot up and walked a few paces away, her arms hugging her body tightly to stop her shaking. "None of this makes any sense! It…it wasn't supposed to be this way! All of my life, I thought I was destined to be a Huntress. I believed that my destiny was to protect the world and those in it, and for the most part I was correct. But now…I don't know if I can do it."

She felt Natsu's hand on her shoulder, when she turned around she was shocked when he pressed his forehead against hers. His eyes were closed, but his smile was warming and wide.

"I really don't know what's going on. This 'destiny' and 'fate' junk kind flies over my head. But if you really think your 'destiny' or whatever is to save the world you can't let anything stop you from doing it. You gotta keep pushing forward."

Pyrrha's eyes started to widen.

"You're not alone." Natsu continued. "Me and the others are here too. If you fall, we'll pick you up again and again. That's what friends are for." He pulled back, his toothy smile shining in the setting sun. "Right?"

Pyrrha was in shock. Despite her vague explanation and panicked ramblings, Natsu managed bring her down and put things in perspective. She thought back to Amber in the pod. She must have had the same fears, but she accepted them and moved forward. Even so, would she regret that decision knowing what would happen to her in future? Pyrrha's hope started to darken.

 _Could I end up like her? What if whoever attacked her comes after me, or worse someone I…_ she looked up to Natsu, he was still smiling.

 _No! I can't do that to my friends. I can't put them in danger. I can't put Natsu in danger. The pain…_ she started to sniff. _It would be too much to bear._

Natsu panicked when he heard Pyrrha sniffling.

"What's wrong, Pyrrha?! Did I say some-"

Natsu was interrupted when the redhead's lips crashed against his. This was the first kiss for either of them, but it wasn't loving or romantic. It was full of passion, but also of sorrow and regret. - at least on Pyrrha's end. She lovingly placed her hand on Natsu's cheek, burning the smoky taste of his lips into her memory before reluctantly letting go. She took a step back.

"I'm sorry. " she apologized. "I…I can't do this anymore."

"What does that mean?" Natsu stepped forward and Pyrrha took a step back. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Stop." Pyrrha weakly pleaded.

"Pyrrha, I-"

"Stop!"

Pyrrha closed her eyes and held up her hand, unwittingly activating her semblance. Her abilities reacted to the metal in Natsu's gloves and he was forced against the outside wall of the cafeteria with an audible opening her eyes, Pyrrha stood horrified at what she had done. She dropped Natsu to the ground. Seeing the look of both pain and confusion in his eyes she started to Pyrrha.

"Forgive me…" she ran off.

"Pyrrha…" Natsu called. He stood up, gripping his throbbing shoulder. "Wait!" he reached out to her, but she was long gone.

* * *

Ruby made her way to the school's landing docks. So far her search for Natsu had bore not fruit. She looked to the setting sun. "It'll get dark soon. I hope we find Natsu before then."

As she walked the docks, Ruby heard the clicking of a camera shutter. At first Ruby thought it was just paparazzi taking pictures of participants in the tournament, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was in fact Velvet Scarlatina taking pictures.

Velvet noticed the young girl standing behind her and turned around with a smile.

"Ruby! How are you?"

"Hey, Velvet." the young girl waved. "I'm good. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just working on my photography. Wanna see?" Velvet showed Ruby the picture she had just taken of Sun. However the picture was…a little less than ordinary. It seemed almost entirely centered on his butt.

"That's…nice." Ruby complimented.

"I'm sorry about Yang." Velvet apologized - she didn't seem fazed by Ruby's hesitant praise. "How is she?"

"She's Yang. So she'll bounce back in no time."

"That's good. I think it's just terrible what people are saying about her. She's a really nice person."

"Glad someone thinks so."

"I wonder how Natsu is taking this. Mercury was his teammate and all. He must be really upset about the entire affair."

"Actually I was looking for him. You haven't seen him around anywhere have you?"

"N-no. I haven't. Not that I don't want to! It's just well…I think it would be kind of awkward to just talk to him since he has a girlfriend and all…"

"Yeah. I can see your…" Ruby's eyes slowly widened. "Wait. Velvet…do you **like** Natsu?"

The rabbit-girl's ears stood straight up and her cheeks flushed red. "N-no! W-why would you think that?! It's just I…"

Ruby started to laugh. "You don't have to feel bad about it. Natsu's a pretty cool guy."

"Yeah. He is." Velvet calmed down and smiled.

"Just because he has a girlfriend doesn't mean you can't talk to him. Besides, Pyrrha's really nice. She won't mind as long as you're not doing anything weird."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Ruby. I hope you find him."

"Me too. See you later, Velvet." Just before she left Velvet's camera flashed in her eyes.

"Sorry." The faunus smiled apologetically.

* * *

"There you are."

Natsu looked up from his seat on the bench and saw his sister smiling down at him. However the smile quickly devolved into her familiar scowl.

"I've been worried sick you know. Where have you been all day?"

Natsu looked back down to the ground. "Sorry."

Weiss realized that her brother was clearly upset about something. She sighed and sat next to him on the benche. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Natsu looked at his sister briefly before returning his gaze to the ground. She seemed much more open this time around.

"I think Pyrrha dumped me."

Weiss didn't seem too surprised by the news. "What did you do?" she asked plainly.

"I don't know."

"Natsu." Weiss nagged.

"I'm serious! I don't know what I did."

"Well tell me what happened? You may have done something without realizing it. Which - to be honest - isn't much a stretch for you."

Natsu ignored his sister's jab and told his story. "Everything happened really fast. We started talking about stuff, then she started crying, then she kissed me, and then all of a sudden she just pushed me against the wall, and ran away."

"That certainly is fast." Weiss noted. Now she was surprised. "What exactly were the two of you talking about?"

"Destiny."

"'Destiny'?" his sister repeated with a raise of her brow.

"Yeah. Pyrrha wanted to know if I believed in it or something, then she started getting crazy and asked about unexpected stuff and losing herself to something. I couldn't really keep up."

"None of that makes any sense. Why was she asking you those types of questions out of the blue?"

Natsu shrugged. "I don't know. She started acting weird after she talked to Ozpin."

"When was this?"

"A couple of days ago. I don't really know what it was about, but afterwards she looked really confused and scared. It must have been something really bad."

"Certainly if she acted the way you described." Weiss paused before continuing. "Natsu, do you care about Pyrrha?"

"Yeah. Of course I do."

"Not as a friend. More than that."

"Yeah. I mean she's my girlfriend…at least I think she still is. What are you trying to say?"

Weiss sighed roughly. "I'm asking if you love her, you dolt. Do you love, Pyrrha?"

Natsu fell silent. He had never given the idea a lot of thought. He cared for Pyrrha a lot, more than most of the other women in his life who weren't related to him. He loved Weiss and Winter, but he was pretty sure that's not the kind of love his sister was talking about. "I don't know...maybe."

"Well regardless there is one thing you have to do."

"What do you mean?"

Weiss stood up and pulled her brother to his feet. "You know what I mean. You have to go find Pyrrha and talk to her. Things will never be clear if you just sit on your butt and do nothing."

Natsu looked away. "I can't."

"No. That will not do." Weiss denied. "We Schnees are not quitters. You will go find Pyrrha this instant and make things right this instant."

"No I mean I really can't. I have to do something important."

"What could possibly be more important than speaking to your girlfriend?"

"I don't even know if she's my girlfriend anymore, but Ironwood is more important."

Weiss was taken aback. "I'm sorry?"

"I have to find Ironwood and tell him about Mercury."

"Mercury? Look, Natsu, I know you're worried about your teammate but-"

"You don't understand. Yang was framed!"

Once again his sister was confused. "What do you mean by 'framed'?"

"Someone set her up. She was tricked into thinking Mercury attacked her. I saw what she did."

Now Weiss was just thought her brother was crazy. "What do you mean you 'saw' it? How in all of Remnant did you and Yang see something that the entire world didn't? That's quite impossible."

"No it isn't. It was because of Emerald's Semblance." Natsu revealed. "She can make illusions. That's how she made Yang see what she did. I was affected because of how much time I spent her. When I noticed she was creating an illusion I was pulled in somehow. Not only that, but Mercury's legs are metal prostitutes!"

"I think you meant 'prosthetics', big brother."

"Yeah! They're fake! So he couldn't have been hurt when Yang hit him in the leg."

"Ok. Even if I were to believe you, which I'm not saying I do, why would they, by which I mean **your** teammates and fellow students of Beacon Academy frame Yang? It doesn't make sense."

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." Natsu started to leave but Weiss grabbed his wrist. "Let go, Weiss. I have to hurry."

"Yes you do. You need to hurry and talk to Pyrrha." She pulled out her scroll and made a call. "Hello, Jaune? It's Weiss….Weiss Schnee? No this isn't a prank, you fool. It's really me.

Yes. Yes. I know it's exciting, but I need you to stop babbling for a second and listen. Do you know where Pyrrha is right now? The colosseum? Thank you. Goodbye." She hung up. "Now you know where to start." she told her brother.

"But, Ironwood-"

"Will be taken care of. I'll let Ruby and Blake in on the situation."

Natsu was stunned at his sister's plan. "Wait you believe me?"

Weiss tilted her head at her brother's question. "Why wouldn't I? You've never lied to me before. Besides if both you and Yang saw the same thing then something odd must be going on. Now hurry along and find Pyrrha. We'll handle the rest."

Natsu wrapped his arms in a tight embrace around his sister and lifted in her air. "You're the best, Weiss!"

His sister blushed. "P-put me down right now, you oaf! You're embarrassing me!"

Natsu set her down and ran off to the landing docks. "See ya later!"

Weiss waved. "Good luck! Be careful!" When Natsu was gone Weiss made another call on her scroll. "Hello? Ruby?"

* * *

Ruby made her way back to her seat in the colosseum. She'd just got off the scroll with Weiss.

 _What am I supposed to be looking for exactly?_ She scanned the colosseum for anything that looked suspicious. Of course Ruby believed her sister's story outright, but she still thought it was odd that Natsu was able to back it up.

 _Why would Mercury and Emerald frame Yang? She never did anything to them. At least I don't think she did. She might have._ Ruby's eyes glanced over the seats once more. _Besides it's not like I'm going to see them anywhere. They went back to..._ Ruby trailed off and her eyes widening in shock. Seated across the arena from her was Emerald Sustrai.

 _Emerald's…here?_

Their eyes briefly met and Ruby quickly averted her gaze. She then got up from her seat and swiftly shuffled to the tunnel. When no one was around, Ruby walked through the door that lead to the corridor of utility rooms for the equipment used in the Tournament. She could hear the muffled commentary coming from the stadium.

"It's time to find out who will be moving on in the singles round!"

 _Why is Emerald here?!_ Ruby panicked.

Upon reaching the first storage room, the absolute last person Ruby expected to see sauntered into her path.

"Mercury?" Ruby looked down to his legs. They were in perfect working condition.

The commentary continued outside.

"Our first contestant is Penny Poledina from Atlas!" Port announced. "And her opponent will be…Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!"

"Polarity vs. Metal." Mercury smirked at the bewildered Ruby Rose. "That could be bad."

"Natsu was right." Ruby uttered. "You weren't hurt."

"So pinkie blabbed, huh?" Mercury shrugged. "Can't say I didn't see that one coming."

"Why are you doing this? Why did you and Emerald frame Yang?"

Mercury remained silent and got himself ready to fight. Ruby reached for Crescent Rose, only to realize that she left it in her locker.

"Missing something?" Mercury taunted.

Ruby stepped to side. Mercury followed. Another step, another mirror. Ruby and Mercury did this dance a couple of times as the announcement rang out for the fight to begin.

"Fighters, are you ready?" Oobleck's voice blared over the speaker system. "3…2…1…Begin!"

"Show time."

Mercury charged. When Ruby tried using her Semblance to pass, a hard kick from Mercury's metal legs knocked her back to the ground. Ruby frantically grabbed for her scroll.

 _I have to call the others!_

As soon as she started typing Mercury shot the device out of her hand with his boots. "Let's just keep this between us friends." He rushed Ruby again.

He kicked at her, but she managed to free herself from his attacks and zoom past him with her Semblance. She bounced off the wall and hit the ground running as fast she could, praying that he wasn't fast enough to catch up with her.

 _I have to get out! I have to get away!_

* * *

Pyrrha and Penny fought ferociously in the center arena. All around the colosseum, spectators in the crowd watched the match before them for various reasons: Team JNPR cheered on their teammate, General Ironwood wanted to see the pper limits of his project, and Emerald Sustrai awaited her moment to strike.

Despite performing relatively well, Pyrrha's head wasn't completely focused on the battle. Her attacks were sloppy and unfocused, and her reaction time had slowed. She had been on defense since the start of the match. She couldn't help it. Her mind kept flashing back to her conversation with Natsu. She used her Semblance on him out of fear. Fear that he would get too close and she would hurt him when she became the Fall Maiden. She was losing control.

Her fear was only strengthened when she looked down at her weapons. She was warping them with her Semblance. Emerald focused her gaze on Pyrrha from the stands. The warping was actually her doing, but the redhead had no way of knowing this.

Pyrrha rushed through Penny's multiple swords and knocked her into the air. The two collided mid-air and Penny was knocked to the ground. The android rolled back, switching her swords into their beam arrangement and firing. Pyrrha maneuvered past the blasts and pushed Penny back again. She barely had a second to catch her breath before Penny returned.

Penny leapt into the air and blasted the ground in front of her opponent. The impact flung the redhead to the edge of the battlefield.

Natsu shambled his way to the stadium seats from the access tunnel. He was still feeling the effects of the airship ride over.

"Damn…death trap."

When he finally looked to the arena floor he saw Pyrrha facing off against Penny. _This should be a good fight!_ He thought at first, but slowly Natsu came to a realization. _Penny's a robot right? She's made out of metal, and Pyrrha's semblance is…oh crap that's not good. I hope Penny will be alright._ Natsu looked around the arena for a place to sit and spotted Ironwood sitting on the left side of the arena from where Natsu entered. _He's here?! I need to tell him about Mercury and Emerald!_

Pyrrha was disarmed by Penny. She used her Semblance to recall her weapons, but Penny knocked them away before she could reclaim them. Penny summoned eight swords to float behind her.

As Natsu made his way to Ironwood he heard a familiar whistle as well as inhaled the familiar scent of mint. _Emerald!_ Natsu stopped frantically searched for his teammate. _Where is she?! Where is she?!_ When he saw her across the stadium he sprinted in her direction. On the way he looked to the arena.

 _Who is she using the illusion on?_

When he noticed Pyrrha start to step back he had found Emerald's target.

 _Why Pyrrha? What is she making her see?_

The redhead's eyes widened with terror. In an instant Penny's eight swords multiplied to thousands with no signs of stopping. Pyrrha started to panic. _She could kill me!_

When Penny - unaware of what her opponent was seeing - sent forth her blade Pyrrha threw open her hands, unleashing the strongest magnetic wave she could muster.

Natsu's looked on in shock. He could feel the static in the air. _That's too much power!_ Without thinking he shouted. "Pyrrha~! Stop! You'll kill her!"

The redhead's heart skipped a beat and she looked to the stands. "Natsu…what are you-" Pyrrha heard a screech and looked back to Penny.

The thousands of swords she had seen disappeared, leaving the original eight. Penny was frozen in place due to the redhead's semblance, unable to move, as the wires from her blades wrapped around her arms, legs, and abdomen. Pyrrha's air left her as she watched the razor sharp wires slice Penny to pieces.

Her upper and lower bodies as well as her right arm laid separated on the arena floor. The crowd recoiled in disgust and fright at the sight, some even going as far as closing their eyes from the scene.

"No!" Port shouted.

All around the world there was sense of dread and panic. Ozpin stood up from his chair in shock. A man in a laboratory in Atlas gripped the arm rest of his chair in frustration. Yang gasped in disbelief as Zwei whined next to her. The Grimm residing Mountain Glenn – sensing the negative emotions permeating in the air – began to move feverishly towards Vale.

Pyrrha fell to her knees in shock and looked down at her shaking hands. Once again she had lost control, but now the whole world – including Natsu – had seen it. Now she had taken a life.

Electricity crackling around her severed limbs, the optical lenses in Penny's eyes expanded until there was nothing but black. With a low whirl and a whine Penny Poledina…was dead.

Ruby forced her way out of the utility corridor, but when she arrived back in the colosseum it was much too late. Seeing the state of Penny on the holo-screen, Ruby collapsed to her knees in astonishment. She was too late. Unable to hold back the pain in her heart she started to cry.

"Penny…"

Mercury finally caught up with Ruby, but after seeing her sorrowful state he smirked and went back into the corridor. His job had been completed.

Doctor Oobleck pressed his fingers on the earpiece in his left ear. "Broadcast, what are you doing down there?! Kill the feed now!"

"W-we can't!" the technician on the other end panicked. "Something's blocking us out! We can't control the cameras or the feed!'

"What?! How is that possible?"

Natsu gnashed his teeth in anger. He gripped the railing so hard that it bent. He shot a look to Emerald – who had finally noticed him looking her way. Just as he was about to charge at her, there was static followed by a high-pitched whine on the speakers.

The holo-screen as well as every monitor in the kingdom saw a red filter and Queen Chess piece cover the feed of Pyrrha and Penny.

"This was not a tragedy." a voice began.

Natsu recognized it instantly. "Cinder…"

"This was not an accident." she continued. "This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, and your children to men who claim to be your guardians; but are in reality nothing more than mortal men. The headmasters of our academies have more power at their disposal than most armies, and one was even brazen enough to try and wield both."

Ironwood angrily rose from his seat and looked for the source of the broadcast.

"They cling to this notion of upholding peace, but what do you see before you? One nation's attempt a creating a synthetic army torn asunder by another's 'golden child'. What possible reason would Atlas have to disguise a soldier as a little girl? I believe that the Grimm can hardly tell the difference.

This begs the question: Just what is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment of one of their own and now this? Hunters and Huntresses, I was told, were supposed to uphold honor and mercy. I have yet to witness either.

Perhaps a victory over Atlas was Ozpin's attempt at currying favor with the disillusioned populace of Vale after he failed to stop the Grimm from invading their streets. Or perhaps this is simply retaliation against a tyrannical leader housing armed forces within his borders.

Personally I have no idea as to who is right or wrong, but I do realize that the existence of peace is itself a fragile one. As someone who hails from Mistral I can tell that the situation there is…equally undesireable."

Emerald started to walk into the tunnel, but was stopped by Natsu.

"How did-"

He gripped her arm tight. "You're not going anywhere."

"While our kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet our leaders keep us in the dark." Cinder continued. "So I ask you all this: when the first shots are fired…who will you trust?"

The broadcast finally ended.

"The feeds are still blocked!" Oobleck said. "We can't get a message out!"

"Will someone tell me what is going on around here?!" Port demanded.

The crowd looked at one another in frightened confusion. No one knew what to make of Cinder's ominous speech. Just then a claxon sounded and a warning appeared on the holo-screens.

"Warning! Incoming Grimm Attack! Threat Level Nine! Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner!"

At once the crowd started to evacuate out in a panic, pushing and hitting one another in a desperate run to the airships on the docks.

Natsu pushed Emerald into the access corridor and backed her into a wall.

"Talk!" he demanded. "What the hell is going on?! Why are you guys doing this?! What was Cinder talking about out there?!"

Emerald remained silent. Natsu punched the space next to her head to rattle her, his fist leaving a dent.

"Answer me!"

"The mountains…" Emerald uttered.

"What?!"

"That trip we took during the winter break was the first time I saw mountains covered in snow from inside a warm house instead of out in the streets. They looked so beautiful, and I thought to myself for just a brief moment that I could live a normal life. That I wouldn't have to kill, or lie, or steal anymore; I just enjoy that view from the balcony forever."

When Emerald finally looked to Natsu, her eyes were brimming with a mix of of rage and guilt. "But the world isn't that simple, Natsu. Life isn't the joyful adventure that we all wish it was. It's hard. It's dirty. And it sucks. This world is diseased, and neither you nor your friends can't stop what's coming."

"What disease?!" Natsu questioned. "Start making sense!"

Emerald huffed. "You know I hated you when we first met? You were so loud and obnoxious, and you always had that dumb smile on your face. I had no idea why Cinder kept telling us to keep you around, but I guess I got used to you after awhile. Being on a team and acting like a normal girl wasn't so bad. Maybe in another life we could have really been friends."

Natsu softened. "Emerald…just tell what's going on? Please."

Emerald fell silent again. Natsu moved to grab her arm and heard the whistle. When he touched Emerald she disappeared. He had been caught in another illusion. He looked for her, seeing her standing in front of the exit to the utility dock.

"Wait, Emerald!" Natsu chased after he, but Emerald jumped. "Emerald!" When Natsu reached the dock he saw that she hand landed on top of an air ship.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll take you friends and get out of here!" She yelled. "Otherwise you'll die!" With one last wave, Emerald got into the airship and it sped into the night.

"Dammit!"

Realizing there was nothing else he could do, Natsu raced back into the colosseum.

* * *

Ironwood broke into the commentator's booth and grabbed the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentleman remain calm." he announced. "There is no need for panic."

As if to make the general a liar, a Nevermore landed atop the colosseum barrier and soon began to stomp and peck it's way inside.

"What's going on?!" Sun shouted.

"How did that thing get past the school's defenses?" Coco wondered.

"It wasn't alone." Ren said ominously.

Ironwood heard his scroll ringing and answered the call. It was Ozpin. "Ozpin, the girl I can ex-

"You brought your army to my kingdom, James…" the headmaster's tone was low. He was no longer in the mood to be coy. "Use it." He hung up and Ironwood made a call to the ships hovering over town.

Inside the ship designated Blue 4, the frustrated captain gave orders to his subordinates. "Blues 2 and 3 fall into defensive position!"

"Roger!" a female soldier answered over the radio. "Blue 3 in position."

"Blue 2! What's you stautus?!"

There was no answer.

"Blue 2 come in!"

Silence again.

"Someone answer me dammit!"

On the Blue 2, a disguised Neopolitan strolled through the destroyed command center of the ship. The soldiers stationed on the vessel laid about her either unconscious or dead. Upon entering the hall housing the holding cells she opened Roman Torchwick's pod, his hat and cane firmly in her hand.

"It's about time." Reclaiming his items, Torchwick moved to the Blue 2's cockpit and turned the ship around; blasting Blues 3 and 4 out of the sky.

"It is so good to be back!" The criminal laughed. Neopolitan stood behind him with an evil grin.

Three airships landed on Beacon's air docks. When the doors opened each vessel was loaded with members of the White Fang. They were all being lead by the masked swordsman. Another on the ships doors opened, unloading a pack of hungry Grimm onto the school grounds.

"Leave none alive." The swordsman ordered. "And I don't care what that witch says, if you find the boy…bring him to me."

* * *

 **New chapter! Biggest one too. The battle of Beacon has begun.**

 **I know a lot of people were concerned about the implications of Cinder's plan and Emerald's Semblance. Admittedly I wrote myself into a corner, and had to find a way out. Hopefully this chapter helped a bit with that. I will be sure to be more careful in the future.**

 **Someone (sorry I don't recall your name) asked me before if I was going to branch off and do my own story for vol. 4 or was I going to keep altering canon. The answer to that is both yes and no. I will be going my own way when vol. 3 is done because of the fall out I will introduce, but I may not fully start on it until vol. 4 starts online just because I want to know where the characters are (mostly Team RWBY) and what they are doing. A lot of theories are floating around (for example: Some people speculate that Blake rejoined the White Fang because of her new design) and I wanted to see what was true and what wasn't. Then again I may just ignore it if I get enough incentive.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for Reading! :D**

 **See you next time.**


	32. The End of Hope

Weiss and Blake stood in the middle of the Fairgrounds frozen in shock. All around them booths were burning down, Grimm were running amok, and AK-200s were desperately trying to protect the fleeing citizens. Cinder's speech had whipped everyone into a frenzy.

Weiss called her brother on her scroll for what would be the fifth time. "Natsu, please pick up." she muttered.

"Yang, are you ok?" Blake asked into her own scroll.

"Yeah. I'm fine." The blonde answered – she was currently running through the dorms with Zwei. "Is Ruby there? She's not answering her scroll."

"No. She's not. Weiss is trying to call Natsu to see if he's seen her. Don't worry I'm sure Ruby's fine. She's our leader. She can take care of herself."

"Yeah…you're right." Yang sighed.

"He's still not picking up!" Weiss yelled. "Why isn't he picking up?! After what happened to Penny he…he better not…" Weiss couldn't bear to finish that thought.

"Don't worry." Blake assured. "I know Natsu's fine wherever he is."

"I'm on my way to the docks." Yang said. "The White Fang started unloading Grimm onto the school!"

Blake's eyes went wide. "The White Fang are here?!" Blake heard snarling and shots ringing on the other side of the scroll, followed by the sounds of Yang grunting and yelling. "Yang?!"

"I gotta go. Be careful." the blonde hung up.

"What do we do now?" Weiss asked Blake.

"We go to the docks, and we do our job." The faunus pressed a button on her scroll and her locker landed at their location.

* * *

The Nevermore's caws pierced the eardrums of those remaining in Amity Colosseum. It wouldn't be long before the monster broke through the barrier completely.

Ruby was still frozen in disbelief as the spectators continued to running away from the arena. Nothing seemed real. Her friend was dead. **Penny** was dead, and there was nothing she could do to fix it. The only thing she could ask was why. Why did Penny have to die? Why did anyone? Nothing seemed real.

The Nevermore circled around the arena, preparing for the final attack that would surely break down the barrier.

Still lost in her shame Pyrrha finally managed to stand on her own. She looked to Penny's broken remains with widened eyes. No matter what she was made of, an innocent girl had been killed at Pyrrha's hands. It was too much for the redhead to fathom.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune desperately shouted from the stands. "That thing is gonna break in! You gotta move now!"

Pyrrha remained still. She couldn't hear Jaune. Only the frantic beating of her own heart.

The Nevermore flew higher and higher before taking a sharp nosedive. Jaune leapt to the arena just before the monster broke through the barrier.

"Pyrrha! Snap out of it, please!" He pleaded.

"Jaune!" Nora cried out.

When the beast landed, the wind from the drop pushed back Pyrrha, Jaune, and Penny's remains. When Pyrrha recovered she was still in a daze, only watching in confusion as the monster flung itself at her. A red blur suddenly zipped past Pyrrha and hit the monster. It was a revived Ruby.

Using one of Penny's swords, the young girl stabbed the Nevermore in the chest. The creature staggered back when Ruby pulled out the blade.

"Ruby…?" Pyrrha weakly called.

"Leave her alone!" Ruby held the sword towards the Nevermore. Penny was gone. She had finally accepted that and came to her senses. She would not lose anyone else to this madness.

The Nevermore took flight and started to circle around Ruby. Once it gained enough speed it soared towards her.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON BRILLIANT FLAME**_

Suddenly a huge fireball fell from the sky and enveloped the Nevermore in a destructive blaze. The Grimm screamed as it died in the flames. Natsu landed in front of his friends soon after, watching with them as his flames died out.

"Natsu?" Ruby called. "Where did you come from?"

"N…Natsu?" Pyrrha shook herself back to reality at the sight of the pinkette's back. It didn't look as strong or proud as it usually did. There was a hunch in his shoulders. A slack in his posture. He was hurting. Pyrrha broke down, her eyes cast down at the cloth of Penny's shirt between her fingers.

"Natsu...Ruby. I'm…I'm so sorry." she apologized through her tears.

"Me too." Ruby said. "But it wasn't your fault."

"She's right." Natsu said. His back was still turned to his friends. He had yet to look at anyone. "This is my fault."

"What?" Ruby questioned.

"They were on my team. I should have tried to stop them sooner."

"Natsu," Pyrrha started. "You couldn't have known-"

"Yes I could!" He snapped. He clenched his hands in anger. "All this time, they were right in front of me planning all of this and I didn't even know about it!" he looked to Penny's body. "I promise I'll make this right. Nobody else is going to die." Without warning he ran to the arena exit.

"Natsu, wait!" Ruby called. She started to run, stopping when she noticed none of the other teams in the arena. "What are you guys doing?! Come on! We have to go after him!"

"That guy is the leader of the people who did this." Nadir Shiko of Team ABRN said. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Yeah." said Brawnz Ni – the leader of Team BRNZ. "How do we know we can trust him? He could be in on the whole thing."

"If we follow him we might fall into a trap." Voiced Reese Chloris.

"What?! He just saved our lives!" Nora moved to attack, but Ren stopped her.

"Nora, stop. They have every right to be hesitant."

"But Ren…"

Jaune stepped forward. "I know you guys don't exactly trust us right now. To be honest I don't blame you. After what happened with Yang and Mercury, and now this. I get why you might be scared or have your doubts about fighting. I'm scared too. Really scared. We all are, and you know what? So is Natsu.

We're all scared about what's going on right now. When we chose to become Huntsman none of us imagined things would get this bad, but I know things will only get worse if we stand around here and do nothing." Jaune pressed the button on his scroll and locker arrived.

"I'm not gonna let my fear control me anymore. I'm going to go out there and what was trained to do. Natsu had nothing to do with this. You might not believe me but I'm telling the truth. He's helped me more times than I can count." Jaune grabbed his weapons. "So I don't know about you, but I'm going out there to help people, and back up my friend."

The foreign students were stunned at the blonde's speech. Before they only saw him as a lucky idiot, but now he stood taller than all of them. Nora and Ren both smiled and summoned their lockers.

"Well said." Ren praised.

"Yeah!" Nora shouted. "Let's go kick some butt!"

Team CFVY called their lockers next.

"Guy saved my life twice." Coco grinned. "I haven't paid him back yet."

"He's always been kind to me." Velvet said. "Even when he didn't have to. It's time I return the favor."

Jaune picked up Pyrrha's weapons from the ground and handed them to her. "You gonna let him fight all by himself?" The blonde asked with a smile.

Pyrrha gripped her weapons tightly and looked to Jaune with renewed resolve. "No. I will support him. Always."

Team SSSN grabbed their weapons as well.

"There's no way Natsu would be involved in something this crazy." Sun said.

"Yeah. He may be a bit scary, but he's not evil." Neptune nodded.

Scarlet and Sage didn't know Natsu as well as Neptune and Sun did, but they trusted their teammates enough to follow their lead. The only teams that remained indecisive were ABRN, BRNZ, and FNKI.

"Well?" Coco asked them as she readied her gatling gun. "You guys just gonna stand around, or are you gonna help us take down some Grimm?"

Suddenly a locker fell from the sky. It belonged to Neon Katt.

"Neon, what are you doin?" Flynt asked.

"I've known Natsu for a long time," She started while taking her weapons from the locker. "And there is no way my stud muffin is responsible for this crazy mess. Right?" she shot Pyrrha a look.

"Absolutely not." Pyrrha said with a shake of her head.

"That's what I thought." Neon walked towards the group. With a sigh Flynt followed her lead.

Slowly but surely all of the other students summoned their weapons. They decided to put their faith in Natsu and his friends. Ruby smiled warmly at the sign of solidarity.

"Sun," Ruby called. "I need to borrow scroll."

The monkey-boy used his tail to whip the device to Ruby. She pressed a couple of buttons and her locker arrived, bringing with it Crescent Rose.

She grabbed it and looked at the group. "Let's go."

* * *

Ironwood and his battalion of AK-200s fought off the swarming Grimm on the docks in attempt to secure the evacuation of the citizens. In spite of the General's best efforts the monsters were simply too numerous fro them to fight off on their own.

Natsu charged a group of creeps when they targeted one of the airships.

"Hey!"

He succeeded in getting their attention. He dug his weapon's claws into the leader of the troop and continued running. He barreled through the other creeps using the leader as a shield. He reached the airship and threw the leader over the ledge.

"Go! I'll cover you!" he shouted to the pilot of the ship. The people finished boarding and the ship started to take off. Natsu switched Black Summer to cannon mode and fired at the charging Creeps, incinerating them. He kept this pattern going until nearly all of the ships had left the dock.

Ironwood locked eyes with an Alpha Beowolf and ran to intercept it. With a roar he dodged the creature's first swipe and pulled out his silver pistol. He fired shots into the monster as it flew over him. The beast charged again, shrugging off Ironwood's shots. It swiped its massive claws. The general stopped the attack cold with a raise of his gloved hand. In one quick motion he shot the creature off its feet, slammed it to the ground, and finished it off with a shot to the back of the head.

"You're getting slow, old man."

Ironwood turned to see a smirking Natsu standing behind him.

"If memory serves I bested you during your military exam."

"That was a million years ago. I'm way stronger now."

"I can see that. Good job on helping evac the citizens."

Ruby and the others ran up to the two from the arena tunnels.

"What're you guys doing here?" Natsu asked. "I told you I'd handle this."

"Did you really think we were gonna let you fight all these Grimm by yourself?" Coco retorted. "You're good, but not that good, Pyro."

"It's not just your fight, Natsu." Ruby told him. "Cinder and the others aren't attacking just the school, but the city too. This is our fight as much as it is yours. You're not alone. We're all Huntsman."

Natsu looked over the group of students. Some were friends, others were strangers, but he saw the same determination in all of their eyes that was in his.

"I guess you're right." He grinned. "Sorry for trying to run off on my own."

"It's ok." Ruby smiled.

"Well put, Ms. Rose." Ironwood said. "The situation is not a good one. The entire city is crawling with Grimm, the White Fang have invaded the school, and to make matters worse some…miscreant has commandeered one of my ships. Until we fix this the skies are off limits. That's why I'm-"Ironwood saw a Beowolf approach and swiftly shot it in the head. "Going to take them back." He finished.

"What about us?" Jaune asked.

"Like Miss Rose said you're all Huntsmen. I suggest you find that out for yourselves. Let's move out!" Ironwood entered one of the airships and flew off towards Blue 2 while his men went to aid the people at the school.

"So how are we going to get down from here?" Sun asked.

"We can take a ship to Beacon." Jaune suggested. "I think I saw one over there." He headed to the left side of the docks, everyone except Natsu following him.

"Natsu, what are you doing?" Ruby asked. "We have to go!"

"Nope. I'm not getting on one of those death traps again." The pinkette refused. "If I get sick I won't be able to fight at full strength."

"You can sleep on my lap until we land." Neon sweetly offered.

"O-or mine!" Velvet piped up - much to the surprise of her team.

"Natsu, we don't have time for this!" Ruby called.

Natsu looked over the edge of the docks for something to take him down. "You guys go on ahead. I'll find a way down on my own."

"Natsu!"

"Ruby, come on!" Jaune called. "Natsu, said he'll be fine. We have to hurry to the school."

"But-"

"Gotcha!" suddenly Natsu jumped from the colosseum.

"Natsu!" Pyrrha and Ruby yelled. The group ran over and looked out the past edge of the dock. All they saw were clouds and flying Grimm.

"Where did he go?! Why did he jump?!" Jaune yelled.

"I knew he was crazy, but I didn't think he was suicidal!" Sun shouted.

"Please be ok." Velvet prayed.

"Natsu!" Pyrrha yelled.

"Hey, guys! What's that?!" Nora pointed to an object speeding towards them. It flew high and came back down until it was level with the dock. It was Natsu! He was riding on the back of a Griffon.

"Race you guys to the bottom!" Natsu stuck his claws into his impromptu stead's side. The Griffon screamed and descended towards the ground, Natsu shouting joyfully all the way down.

"Did that guy...just ride a Grimm?" Flynt asked in disbelief.

"That was so awesome!" Nora exclaimed. Even Ruby had to agree, her eyes lighting up at the sight.

"I think reckless is the more appropriate term." Ren said. Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement.

"Kinda cool though." Coco grinned.

"I think I've fallen in love all over again." Neon swooned.

Velvet took a picture before Natsu was out of frame.

Pyrrha placed her hand over her racing heart. "Crazy…" she breathed. "He's absolutely insane."

"Pyrrha, let's go." Jaune said.

"R-right." She followed the others to the nearest airship.

* * *

"Let's see…what does this one do?"

Torchwick strolled over to the control console in Blue 2's cockpit and pressed a random red button. He heard a loud explosion coming from the rear of the ship.

"Oh fun! What about this one?"

He pressed the button next to it, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Well that was a bust."

Unbeknownst to Torchwick he had actually dropped a platoon of AK-200s out of the cargo bay of the ship. Neopolitan arrived soon after and handed her partner a scroll.

"Thank you much, my dear." He placed the device on the control console and the Queen Chess piece appeared. The whole console as well - as the floor - glowed red, spreading a virus throughout the entire mainframe. "This is going to be a hoot."

* * *

When Weiss and Blake finally arrived in the school's courtyard a group of AK-200s suddenly turned to them. Their visors turned red due to Cinder's virus, the robots prepared to fire on the girls.

"Look out!" Blake tackled Weiss to the ground. Luckily for them all of the shots missed. The robots started to advance. Blake and Weiss prepared themselves for battle when they heard the loud screeching of a Grimm overhead.

The pair looked up and saw a Griffon frantically circling around them. Suddenly it dive-bombed, crashing into the robots and breaking them apart in mess of debris and broken metal.

"What just happened?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know, but I think I see something in the dust."

A silhouette rose from the crater. When the dust settled, the girls were shocked to see Natsu emerging from the crater.

"That was a close one." The pinkette said. "I almost fell off back there."

"Natsu!"

The pinkette watched his sister and Blake run up to him.

"Yo! What's-"he was promptly interrupted by a hard slap by his sister. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"You stupid idiot!" Weiss shouted, holding back tears. "I was worried sick about you! I thought you were...Why didn't you answer your scroll?!"

"My scroll?" Natsu thought for a moment. He then smiled nervously. "I guess I must have lost it somewhere. Sorry for worrying you."

"It's good to see you safe." Blake grinned.

"You guys too." Natsu returned. "Where's Yang? I thought she would be with you."

"We don't know. We were looking for her when the robots started shooting at us."

"Yeah I saw that. Things just keep getting crazier and crazier."

"Have you seen Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Natsu nodded. "She and the others should be arriving here on an airship pretty soon."

"How did you get down here before them? I thought you were at the colosseum."

"I was." Natsu pointed to the Griffon in the crater as it started to disintegrate. "I rode that Grimm down."

"You what?!" Weiss shouted. "Hw reckless can you be?!"

Natsu smiled wide. "I don't know, it was pretty fun. Now I know how you felt during the initiation trial when you rode on that Nevermore."

Weiss groaned and shook her head. "I wasn't riding it because I **wanted** to you know."

"Come on." Blake said to the siblings. "We have to protect the school."

"You guys do that. I'm going to find Cinder." He brushed past them and took off in the opposite direction.

"Natsu, wait!" his sister shouted.

"Weiss." Blake called.

The heiress turned around and saw more infected AK-200s as well as a gang of White Fang soldiers approaching them.

* * *

Inside Ironwood's airship, the AK-200s were infected with Cinder's virus as well. Before the General could react the robots fired, causing the ship to explode with him inside.

Ruby's group watched in shock from their ship as they watched Ironwood's ship fall from the sky in a ball of fire. After a moment of reflection Ruby realized what she had to do. Without a word she ran towards the ships cargo bay.

"Where are you going?!" Sun shouted.

Ruby opened door and dropped from the ship. Using her Semblance to propel herself to the docks of the colosseum, Ruby back ran into the arena. Finding the nearest locker, she latched onto it and put in the coordinates for the general area Blue 2 was floating over. The force of the flight testing her grip, Ruby managed to hang on long enough to drop onto the top of the ship.

When Torchwick heard the thud from her landing from inside the ship he rolled his eyes. "Go see what that is."

Neopolitan bowed and left the control room.

* * *

Natsu's search for his illusive teammates brought him to the ruins of the school's eastern wing.

 _I can't pick up any of their scents. There's too much smoke and blood in the air._

When he turned down the science hall, he was confronted by a small group of White Fang soldiers.

"There he is!" one of them shouted. "Get him!"

Natsu charged into the platoon without breaking his stride, easily knocking them all to the wayside. When they were all down he stopped and looked to them. "These guys are everywhere. Maybe I can ask one where Cinder is." Natsu lifted the closest one to him by the collar. "Hey! Tell me where Cinder is hiding! Right now, you jerk!" The White Fang soldier was starting to get dizzy from Natsu's constant shaking, the pinkette didn't seem to notice or care.

"You better start talking, or I'll-"

A slash echoed through the air. Natsu let go of the soldier and jumped back, narrowly avoiding the blade from a long red sword. Natsu slid back, his eyes trailing upward to see a swordsman with red-black hair and a white mask standing before him.

"I've finally found you." He said with a sadistic grin.

Natsu readied himself for a fight. He had no idea who this mysterious swordsman was, but by all appearances he was very strong.

"You a member of the White Fang too?" Natsu asked.

"I am." The man answered. "I'm their leader."

The pinkette grinned confidently. "Ok then after I kick your ass, they'll stop coming."

"You'll regret taking me lightly, boy." The masked man prepared his sword. "My blade has been waiting a long time to cut into you." With a step the man charged and swung his sword.

* * *

Far away from the carnage Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury watched the students and Atlas soldiers fight against their forces. All over there was chaos and destruction – which only served to strengthen the Grimm. Cinder and Mercury – who was videotaping the hellish events with his scroll – watched with sick glee, but Emerald was less than enthused.

"Beautiful." Cinder said.

"It's almost sad." Emerald empathized.

"It's absolutely horrendous." Cinder added with a smile. She turned to Mercury. "Focus on the Atlesian Knights."

"Don't you worry." He chuckled. "I'm not missing a thing."

"Continue the broadcast until the end."

A loud rumbling nearly knocked the group from the building they were standing on, but Cinder was unaffected.

"Be sure not to miss what happens next." She started to walk away.

"Check this out." Mercury said. He held the scroll to Cinder and Emerald. The feed showed Natsu showed and Adam fighting one another. "Didn't know he was still here."

 _That stupid idiot._ Emerald grimaced. _He should have just run away._

Cinder was just as displeased. "I told him that Natsu was to remain unharmed."

"That's what we get for trusting a bunch of animals." Emerald commented.

"Want us to take him out?" Mercury offered.

"No. I will handle this." Cinder walked away, her eyes glowing bright. "You focus on the carnage, and do not miss a second of it."

"You got it, boss lady." Mercury saluted.

"Yes, ma'am." Emerald nodded.

* * *

Natsu narrowly evaded the thrusts from his opponent's sword. From the onset of the battle the pinkette had been on his toes. No matter what tried the swordsman had a counter for it.

 _I can't waste any more time fighting this guy! I have to get away and find Cinder!_

Natsu stepped forward and drew back his fist, but his punch was blocked by the swordsman's scabbard. The masked assailant then tripped the pinkette. Natsu got on his hands and pushed himself back, avoiding another slash from the man's blood-red blade.

Natsu fired his cannons. The man sliced through the blasts with ease. When Natsu darted towards the nearest wall and jumped off the man prepared to swing his sword again. Just before he brought his arm over his chest Natsu pushed his elbow towards his neck.

"Can't cut me if you can't move your arm." The pinkette taunted.

"That's not my only weapon." The man smirked. He pointed the bottom of his sheathe to the pinkette's stomach and pulled a trigger. Powerful dust rounds blasted Natsu through the wall and out into the courtyard.

"Agh!" Natsu gasped for air and clutched side. He tried to stand, but his legs had briefly gone numb from the impact of going through the wall and he collapsed. All he could do was crawl backwards as the swordsman approached.

When he was standing over Natsu, The man raised his sword.

"Make your peace, human."

Before the man could strike Natsu down, an explosion separated them.

"What's this?!" the man shouted.

Natsu covered his eyes from the dust, when everything was clear he rose to his feet with his eyes widened in shock. Between him and his opponent stood Cinder.

"Witch." the man snarled.

"My words were quite clear, Adam. I said that no harm was to come to Natsu."

"You think me one of your pawns, woman?!" The man - now known as Adam - retorted. "We are allies, but that does not make us equals!"

"I fully agree." Cinder's left eye started to glow, sending a chill through both Natsu and Adam's spine. "You forget your place. Your job is to add to the chaos, not act on personal vendettas. If you wish to test my patience then I will be happy to oblige."

Adam and Cinder glared at one another for a few seconds before the swordsman loosened the grip on his sword's hilt. He straightened, hie eyes narrowing behind his mask.

"This is not over, witch." he next looked to Natsu. "Next we meet she will not be able to save you, boy." Adam walked away.

Cinder turned to Natsu and smiled. "Are you ok? Adam can be quite the tough opponent." she reached for Natsu but he slapped her hand away.

"Save it. What the hell is going on, Cinder?" Natsu demanded. "Why are you doing all of this?"

"I understand that you feel betrayed and angry about what is happening, but I assure you that this was not done to spite you. To be honest I wanted to tell you about this all along."

"Why didn't you?"

"It's a very...complicated situation." Cinder reached her hand out to him again. "It is much better if I show you rather than tell you."

Natsu still didn't trust Cinder. How could he after everything that just happened? But when he looked into her eyes he saw something that questioned his doubts, something that might prove that she wasn't all bad. Reluctantly he took her hand.

Just then the rumblings from before grew louder.

"What was that?" Natsu asked.

Cinder smiled. "Something wonderful."

For a brief moment all of the fighting ceased. Everything man, faunus, and Grimm watched as the mountain from which Mountain Glenn derided its name split apart. From the broken formation emerged a massive Grimm Dragon! Its horrific screech rang the eardrums of all who heard it as it spread its wings and took flight to where the battles were being waged.

When the monster reached the city of Vale black goo dripped from its body like rain drops. When the strange liquids hit the ground they spread into pools of deep darkness. From out these pools emerged even more Grimm.

The young Huntsmen at the school prepared themselves for the incoming wave of monsters. Team JNPR stood as one, but when Pyrrha saw Ozpin standing atop the stairs of Beacon Tower, she froze. The time had finally come to fulfill her destiny.

She straightened up and walked forward, her grip on her weapons shaky as she approached the Headmaster.

"Where is she going?" Nora asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Jaune said. He ran after Pyrrha. "You guys stay here and protect the school."

Natsu watched as the Dragon flew overhead. "Whoa. That's a huge Grimm…"

"Isn't it wondrous?" Cinder asked. "Come. It's time you see the truth." she gripped Natsu's hand tighter and lifted him into air behind her. The two were on their way to Beacon Tower.

* * *

Ruby watched from atop Blue 2 as the Dragon flew past. Awed by the sheer size and presence of the creature, she almost missed the flock of Griffons following behind it. One dropped onto the deck before Ruby. After killing it Ruby was surprised to see Neopolitan standing behind her. The silent girl took a picture of Ruby's shocked expression and sent it to Torchwick inside the ship complete with the caption: "Guess who?"

"You gotta be kidding me!" Roman snatched the scroll from the console and made his way to the upper deck. When he arrived, he saw Ruby and Neopolitan already battling.

Neopolitan dodged all of Ruby's attacks with relative ease, if she could talk she would no doubt be taunting the young girl. Ruby fired her rifle, but hit Neopolitan's illusion instead. This allow Torchwick surprise her with a blast from his cane.

Ruby stuck her scythe into the deck as she flew back, barely stopping herself from jettisoning from the ship as Torchwick loomed over her.

"You're just determined to be the 'Hero of Vale', aren't ya, Little Red?" he smirked.

"Don't you know what you're doing?!" Ruby shouted in vain. "Without all of these ships the Grimm will destroy everything!"

"That's the idea!" Torchwick pointed his cane at Ruby, but she was able to swat it away before he fired.

As soon as she stood up Ruby was knocked towards the edge of the ship by Neopolitan. A griffon nearly took the young girl's head off. She stepped back and faced her enemies.

"What do you have to gain from any of this?!" she demanded from them.

"Asking all the wrong questions, Red!" Torchwick replied. "It's not about what I can gain, it's just that I have a whole lot more to lose."

Ruby charged but was once again intercepted by Neopolitan. The two-tone mute separated Ruby from her weapon and knocked her to Torchwick, who blasted her back to the edge of the ship. Grabbing the handle of Crescent Rose to stop herself, Ruby looked down in terror as she hung over the side of the ship. The only thing she could see was the swarm of Griffons beneath her feet.

"As a gambling man, I know when it's better to just cut your losses and live to bet another day." Torchwick said as Neopolitan pointed her blade down at Ruby. "Like it or not, the people that hired me are going to change the world, Red, and none of us can stop them. Not you. Not me. Not your pink-haired friend. No one. So you all might as well accept it and just enjoy the-"

Thinking quickly Ruby pressed the button on Neopolitan's umbrella to open it. The wind caught it, and with an audible gasp the mute was sent flying from the ship.

"Neo!" Torchwick shouted.

"It doesn't matter what you say!" Ruby declared. "We'll stop all of you! You can bet on that!" She jumped back to the and raced to Torchwick, but was quickly knocked onto her back once again.

"You got spunk, Red. Gotta admit I like that about you. Too bad this is the real world!" He smacked her with his cane over and over. "It's a cold place, and doesn't give a damn about spunk!"

Ruby kicked him back.

"You wanna be the big hero?! Then just play the part and die like all the Huntsmen before you!" Torchwick knocked Ruby to the ground for a third time. "That's not me. I'll just keep doing what I do best: Lie, steal, cheat, and survi-"

Just then a Griffon swooped down and swallowed Torchwick whole. When it set its sights on Ruby, she kicked it into the control room. The collison exploded the control center knocked the ship off course, sending Blue 2 into a nosedive.

As the ship exploded around her, Ruby made a mad dash for Crescent Rose – which was still stuck on the edge of the ship. Reclaiming her weapon she leapt from the vessel, Using shots from her rifle to slow her descent until she safely landed on the roof of the Beacon Dormiory. She watched as the last remaining Atlas ship fell from the sky.

"So long, Roman."

* * *

The fight at the school was becoming a losing battle. No matter how hard they tried, the allied students were unable to make a dent in the Paladins. They were also severely outnumbered by the Grimm, other virus infected robots, and the White Fang.

Neon and Reese froze the legs of one of the Paladin mechs. Weiss tried to attack from behind, but was quickly repelled. Another mech swatted away Yatsuhashi. With those nuisances out of the way it set its sights on an exhausted Ren.

"Watch out!" Nora pushed Ren out of the way, taking the Paladin's strike in his place.

"Nora!" Ren was knocked away by the Paladin when he tried to check on her.

Next the mech faced Coco, Velvet, and Neptune. Coco and Neptune fired at the robot with their guns. Velvet stayed a few paces behind, unsure of what to do. She wanted to help, but was conflicted if now was the right time to use her weapon.

"This isn't working!" Neptune yelled. "Please tell me we have another plan!"

"We're not a putting a dent in this thing!" Coco grimaced. She turned to Velvet. "Do it now!"

The Faunus' ears perked up. "Really?!"

Coco nodded. "Just make it count, ok?"

"Right." Velvet nodded and walked to the pair of Paladins before them.

"You sure about this?" Neptune warily asked Coco.

"Sure as I'll ever be." Coco replied.

"Why are you sending her in alone?!" Weiss demanded. "She could get hurt! Or worse!"

"Just watch, Princess."

Velvet held out her hand. A blue light shot out of her camera, creating a hard light construct in the shape of Ruby's Crescent Rose scythe. When one of the Paladin's fired its cannon, Velvet leapt into the air. She cut through the robots arm with the scythe. When she landed on the ground the scythe disappeared; replaced with a construct of Weiss' own Myrtenaster.

"How is she doing that?" The heiress questioned in disbelief.

"Velvet's camera stores the data of any weapon that she takes a picture of." Coco explained. "Her camera then creates a hard light recreation of that weapon for her to use. Not only that…"

Velvet stabbed into the Paladin with a stance similar to Weiss', before quickly punching back the mech with "Ember Celica".

"She can copy the wielder's fighting style." Coco finished with a grin.

Weiss was in awe as she watched Velvet – now using Gambol Shroud – fend off both mechs on her own. She tied up one with "Gambol Shroud's" ribbon before shooting at the other with a version of Coco's Gatling gun. When the second mech broke through and swatted at her Velvet blocked with Sun's Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang Staff.

She knocked off the robot's arm with Nora's Magnhild hammer and finished it off Penny's blades. She sliced off its legs before blasting it to pieces with the weapon's rail gun formation. She saw the first Paladin charge from the corner of her eye, and blocked its strike; though the force of the blow sent her crashing through a nearby bench.

"Velvet!" Weiss began to move, but Coco stopped her. "Why are you stopping me?! She's hurt!"

"Just hold on. Velvet's a lot tougher than you think."

The Paladin prepared to finish the bunny girl with one final punch. However when it struck, Velvet stopped it with one hand. Her eyes narrowed in anger, the light around her hands formed into Black Summer. Weiss was shocked.

"She has Natsu's weapon as well?"

Coco grinned. "That one's her favorite."

Velvet punched through the Paladin's arm, breaking it into the pieces. When the robot stumbled back Velvet jumped onto its chassis and used Black Summer's claws to rip a hole in it. Looking into the unmanned cockpit, Velvet aimed Black Summer's cannons and fired. The Paladin exploded from the inside out, destroying it completely. Velvet rejoined her friends.

"That was amazing!" Weiss praised.

"Good job, Velvet." Coco grinned, patting her on the shoulder.

The rabbit-girl blushed. "Thank you."

Before the students could fully celebrate their victory, there was another rumbling.

"Uhhh…you guys hear that?" Neptune asked.

From around the corner appeared an upgraded Paladin.

"Seriously?!" Sun shouted.

The group prepared themselves as the mech started to charge. Suddenly- as if by some form of divine intervention - the mech shut down before it reached them. It fell over, it's body sliding and stopping just before the students' feet.

"Ok. What just happened?" Coco asked.

"I think it might have had something to do with that huge ship going down earlier." Ren pointed out.

"Then we won?!" Nora exclaimed. "Yay!"

"That was a bit easier than I thought." Sun said.

"Weiss!" Yang appeared and ran over to the large group. "You're ok Have you heard from Ruby?"

"No." the heiress answered with a shake of her head. "Have you seen Natsu anywhere?"

"No I haven't seen him."

"I knew I should have went with him!"

"Calm down, Weiss. If anyone can take care of themselves it's him." Yang looked over the group an noticed someone was missing. "Where's Blake? I thought she was with you?"

"She went to chase an Alpha and some members of the White Fang some time ago." Weiss pointed. "I think she went towards the cafeteria."

"You look for Ruby and I'll look for Blake." Yang said before running off.

"Be safe!" Weiss advised.

"I will!" Yang shouted back. "You too!"

Weiss put her hands on her hips and looked out to the ruins. The others were enjoying their first break before the set out again to fight.

"Now. Just where did Natsu run off to?" Weiss wondered.

* * *

As she passed by the burning cafeteria in pursuit of Grimm, Blake heard the dying shout of an Atlas soldier. Stopping to look through the broken window, her eyes widened in shock at the sight of a swordsman with a white mask and red-black hair standing over the dead soldier.

"A-Adam…?" she uttered.

Adam heard her quivering voice and turned to her with a lustful grin on his lips. "Hello, my darling."

Blake was paralyzed with fear, as Adam slowly approached her. Even though his eyes were covered with the mask, Blake could tell that he was beyond angry. He had had every right to be. Blake turned her back on everything she claimed to hold sacred - including him - the minute she deserted him on that train some months ago. It was the ultimate betrayal in both of their eyes. This reunion was a long time coming.

Blake took a tentative step back.

"Running again?" Adam asked. Blake stopped. "Is that what you've become, my love? A coward? I suppose it's not much of a stretch after seeing the company you keep."

"Why are you here?" Blake asked. "Why do all of this?"

"You and I were going to change the world! We were destined to light the fires of revolution. This is only the spark."

Blake remained frozen in place, but Adam knew just what to say to push her to action.

"I ran into **him** a little while ago. The one you left me for. He was…weaker than I imagined. If you don't want to indulge me, I suppose I will have to seek him out once more and finish the job."

Immediately Blake raced forward, her blade colliding with Adam's.

"Stay away from him." She growled. Adam kicked her to the ground.

A Grimm appeared and tried to attack the downed Blake, but Adam shot it away with his scabbard's shotgun.

"Oh I will, but only after I make you suffer for your sins, 'darling'."

Blake attempted to get up, but Adam smacked her back down.

"This day should have been ours! How can you not see that?!"

"I never wanted this!" Blake argued. "I wanted equality! I wanted peace!" She fired Gambol Shroud. Adam blocked the rounds with his sword and knocked her weapon away.

"No you wanted **him**! But now you see that is impossible!"

"He has nothing to do with this!"

"Lies! That…that boy was the one who put those lies into your head! He corrupted you! Equality! Peace! Those are just fallacies! We faunus have to take our own place in this world! We have to show these humans what justice really is! They need to know what it is like to be ostracized and hunted like animals!"

Adam was now standing over Blake. She wanted desperately to fight back, but Adam was simply too strong for her. She also didn't have it within her to harm him. Even if their paths differed, she just couldn't write him off. Somewhere deep down was the man she remembered.

"Adam, please...you don't have to do this."

"He doesn't understand you like I do, Blake. No human does, but clearly you do not want to accept that." He knelt down in front of her. "When I cleanse this world and give mankind the reckoning they so rightfully deserve, I will first make it my mission to destroy everything you love. Starting with him."

"Bla~ke!"

Yang came around the corner of the cafeteria – knocking out a White Fang soldier in her path.

"Blake, where are you?!" she frantically called. "Answer me! Are you here?!"

When Adam saw the look of shock and horror on Blake's face, he formed an idea.

"On second thought…"

"What are you doing?" Blake asked in fright.

Adam stood up and stabbed Blake in the side. Her pained cry caught finally Yang's attention.

When she saw the masked man pull his sword out of her friend, Yang went into a rage.

"Get away from her!"

"No…Yang…stop…" Blake weakly pleaded.

Her eyes turned red and with a roar Yang propelled herself towards Adam. She pulled back her left arm, but Adam activated his Semblance: Moonslice. He absorbed the force from Yang's attack and returned it. With one swing of his blade, he severed Yang's left forearm from the rest of her body.

Blake watched helplessly as her friend fell unconscious next to her. When Adam prepared to finish Yang, Blake used the what little strength she had left to get between them. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth bared at her old partner.

"Even with this you continue to defy me." Adam said sadly. After a moment's hesitation he decapitated his "love" only to find out that both she and Yang were clones. He turned around and watched Blake flee from the cafeteria with the comatose Yang in her arms. "Always running. Aren't you, my love?"

Adam followed after them, killing a Grimm that lunged at him.

* * *

Jaune had no idea what was going on. Almost immediately after he and Pyrrha had met up with Ozpin he hurried them to elevator. The trip down the shaft was a silent, almost scary one as neither Pyrrha nor Ozpin said anything on the way down, but from the conflicted look Pyrrha's face Jaune could tell that whatever they found would not be pleasant.

As soon as the door opened the three sprinted down a long hallways. Jaune found himself both amazed and frightened by secret space.

"What is this?"

"It's…a type of vault." Pyrrha hesitantly answered.

"You've been here before?"

Pyrrha fell silent.

"Why would the school need a place like this?" Jaune asked tentatively. "What would we need to…hide?" He stopped short when the three came upon the pod device holding Amber. "What the…who is-"

"Jaune…"

"Pyrrha." Ozpin called. He started typing on the keypad of the device. "Get to the pod. If you wish to help, Mister Arc, you can stand guard there."

Jaune had way more questions than he knew what to do with, but he decided to put his faith in his friend and teacher and stand guard with his sword and shield.

"What now?" Pyrrha asked the Headmaster.

"Nothing." Ozpin said. Once he was done inputting the commands the second pod door opened. "The choice is now yours, Miss Nikos."

Pyrrha looked to the pod then to Jaune. She could tell from his slight shaking of his weapons that he was both frightened and confused by whatever was going on. She was too. Even so Jaune stood guard. A shield to protect her from anyone that would attack. It was like he said. His fear would no longer control him.

For a moment she thought – hoped – that Natsu would appear and say something that would make the choice easier, but he didn't. She didn't know where he was, and this couldn't wait. Clenching her fists she took one final breath she stepped into the pod.

Ozpin started up the transfer sequence. In the back of his mind he hoped that this day would never have had to come. He wanted nothing more than his students to live peaceful school lives without the fear of death and destruction, but this year had dashed those hopes long ago. The tower started rumbling from above. It wouldn't be long before **she** found them. He looked to Pyrrha.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Pyrrha nodded.

"I…I need to hear you say it."

"…Yes."

"Thank you, Miss Nikos."

With a press of a button the transfer process began. Amber's pod raised up, the life-support systems reviving her just enough to activate her splintered aura. The tubes hooked to the machine started to glow orange. Flowing from Amber's side to Pyrrha's, the sudden intake of foreign aura sent shockwaves of pain throughout the redhead's body. She screamed as her body started to convulse.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune ran over to her, but could only watch his friend writhe in pain. He didn't know what to do.

Ozpin watched with shame in his eyes. "I'm so sorry." he apologized.

The elevator opened and out stepped Natsu and Cinder.

"What is this place?" the pinkette asked. "It's huge. Was this under the school the entire time?"

"This is where Ozpin's biggest lie resides. This place is the true cause of all the destruction above."

"Ozpin? What are you talking about? What does he have to do with this?"

"Everything." Cinder used dust to created a bow and arrow and aimed it into the darkness.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked.

"Just watch."

Cinder let go of the arrow and it shot through the darkness, breaking through the glass of Amber's pod and piercing her heart. The machine's alarm started beep wildly. Amber desperately gasped for air. Within seconds her breathing ceased, her aura faded, and the machine's beeping stopped. The Fall Maiden was dead.

"Cinder, what the hell was that?!" Natsu demanded. "What did you just do?!"

"Natsu?"

The pinkette looked down the now illuminated hallway, his eyes widening when he saw Jaune and Ozpin next to two pods.

"What are you doing down here?" Natsu asked. He looked to the pod next to Amber's and saw Pyrrha struggling to break free. "Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha desperately tried to free herself from the pod before she suffered the same fate as Amber. She pounded on the glass, but the door wouldn't budge. It was sealed. Natsu ran over to her.

"Natsu?! What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." He grabbed onto the side of the pod door and started to pull. "Hold on! I'll get you out!"

"No! You have to run away from here! I didn't want you to see this!"

"I don't know what is going on, but there is no way in hell I'm leaving this place without you. Now help me open this thing!"

"O-ok." Pyrrha started to push from the inside as Natsu pulled.

A flash of light akin to fire shot forth from Amber's body and into Cinder's. The raven-haired witch doubled-over briefly, but slowly started to float in the air as the power of the Fall Maiden started coursing through her veins. Her eyes burned with power as wisps of flames circled around her body.

Natsu and Pyrrha stopped and watched as Cinder floated in air.

"Cinder?" Natsu questioned. "What's happening?"

"The Fall Maiden." Pyrrha answered. "She's taken all of her power."

"Fall Maiden? What is that?"

Jaune attempted to attack while Cinder was momentarily distracted.

"Stop!" Ozpin yelled.

With a simple wave of her hand Cinder sent him flying back to the device.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha and Natsu shouted. At once the redhead forced open the pod door with her Semblance and threw it at Cinder. This too was knocked away. When Pyrrha grabbed her weapons and charged, she was immediately stopped by Natsu.

"Hold on!" Natsu said. "You don't have to fight her!"

"Have you gone mad?! She'll kill all of us!"

"No she won't. Just trust me. Check on Jaune."

Pyrrha lowered her weapons and did as Natsu told her. "Be careful."

"Right." He approached Cinder.

"Natsu, stay back!" Ozpin called.

"Cinder!" Natsu called. The new Fall Maiden looked down at him and slowly descended to the ground. "What is going on?" he asked her. "What happened to you?"

"Destiny." she answered with a grin. "As Pyrrha said before I have become the new Fall Maiden."

"By killing that girl."

"Amber's sacrifice was a necessary one for the new world."

"New world?" Natsu questioned. "What 'new world'?"

Cinder reached out her hand to him and smiled. "Take my hand and I will show you everything."

"Natsu, don't!" Pyrrha shouted.

"What are you doing?!" Jaune yelled.

"Wait." Ozpin held his hand in front of the two, stopping them. They all watched Natsu and Cinder.

Natsu slowly reached his hand to Cinder's.

"That's it. There's no need to be afraid." Cinder assured. Natsu placed his hand in hers, but as soon as she grabbed him Natsu whipped around, held Cinder's arm behind her back and put her in a choke hold.

"Get out of here!" Natsu shouted to the others. "I'll hold her off!"

Cinder tried to break free from the pinkette's grasp. "Natsu, what are you doing! Let me go this instant!"

"You heard him." Ozpin said. "You two get out of here. Now! Glynda! Ironwood! Qrow! You must find and bring them here quickly! The tower must not be allowed to fall."

"But we can help." Pyrrha argued. When Ozpin looked at her she saw an emotion that she never though was possible for the Headmaster…fear.

"You would only get in the way."

"Go!" Natsu shouted.

With a heavy heart Pyrrha and Jaune ran past to the elevator.

"Jaune, take care of Pyrrha!" Natsu ordered.

"You got it!"

Natsu and Pyrrha briefly locked eyes, the former smiled "Don't worry." he said. "I'll be right behind you."

Pyrrha knew he was lying, but she accepted his words nonetheless and followed Jaune to the elevator.

"Natsu, stop this foolishness!" Cinder demanded, still struggling in his grip. "Can you not see that you are being fooled?!"

"The only person who fooled me is you." Natsu retorted. "All this time you and the others were pretending to be my friends, but you were actually a bunch of criminals. You hurt people! You killed Penny! And I let it all happen! But it's over now, Cinder! I'm going to take you down and you're going to pay for what you've done!"

Cinder stopped struggling. "Fine. If you cannot see that which is in front of you, then I must remove the wool from your eyes." her eyes started to glow and the pair started to float.

"Natsu, let go of her! Now!" Ozpin shouted.

With a shout Cinder created a wave of energy that sent Natsu crashing into the pod Pyrrha was in before.

"No!" Ozpin shouted.

"I took no pleasure in that." Cinder said as she descended to the ground. "I was hoping seeing all of this would persuade him, but it seems that I will have to try harder."

Ozpin switched the grip on his on his cane. "No matter what you tell him, Natsu won't join you. You pretend to care about him but in the end the only thing you care about is power and self-gratification. You're simply a delusional girl looking for acceptance."

Cinder laughed. "That's high praise coming from you. Did you really believe that you could keep this hidden forever? You hold yourself in too high a regard, Ozpin." She created two blades covered in fire. "She was right about you. Such arrogance." She charged.

Cinder and Ozpin clashed in the middle of the vault. The shockwave shook the entire vault, as well awaken Natsu.

"What happened?" He moved the rocks from off of his body and looked at the fight happening before him. Despite Ozpin more than holding his own, Natsu could tell that it was only a matter of time before Cinder gained the upper hand. "I have to help Ozpin...Cinder's too strong for him to fight on his own." Natsu started to walk forward, but stopped when he was next to Amber's body.

"This is that Fall Person Cinder and Pyrrha were talking about, right?" Natsu pulled Cinder's arrow from Amber's chest and threw it to the side. He looked at the scar on her face. _Did Cinder do this too?_ The longer Natsu looked at Amber the more she seemed familiar to him.

 _"Are you lost?"_

The voice in Natsu's head was accompanied by the image of a little girl with a face similar to Amber's reaching out to him in the middle of a forest.

 _This girl...I've met her somewhere before._ He looked back to the battle.

Cinder slid back on her heels – melting a portion of the floor in the process. She created glass projectiles which Ozpin easily deflected. He rushed her, hitting her multiple times with the end of his cane before punching her back.

 _I can't just leave her in here._ Natsu used off of his strength to rip open a portion of the door just enough to get Amber's body out. With Amber's lifeless body cradled in his arms, he watched Cinder float in the air, and throw out her hands. Within seconds she encased herself in a massive sphere of fire.

"What is she doing?" Natsu could feel the amount of power radiating from Cinder and clutched Amber tighter in his arms.

Ozpin slammed the bottom of his cane into the ground to create a barrier around himself. He jumped towards Cinder as she let loose a massive blast of fire upon him. When the two energies collided, Natsu shielded Amber's body from the shockwave.

Then everything went white.

* * *

 **We're almost there! Changed a couple of things around in this chapter, for starters I took out some of the nonsense scenes like Weiss and Blake deciding to split up, as well as what was going on in the city. I was already jumping around between the school and the ships so i thought it would be a bit too much to add the city scenes as well. I also replaced Weiss' big summon with Velvet ending the fight (don't worry I have plans for Weiss later). I also added the fight between Adam and Natsu just for kicks. I'll probably give them a rematch somewhere down the line.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think! Thanks for reading! :D**

 **Next time: End of Vol. 3 (Pretty big changes there)**


	33. Darkness

Beacon Academy's loading docks were filled to the brim with frightened students and faculty alike. One by one, the airships hurriedly evacuated the terrified masses from Beacon to the safe zone located in Vale. There were simply too many Grimm. As much as everyone was loathed to admit it, the battle was lost.

"Everyone aboard the airships!" Professor Port bellowed. "This is a mandatory evacuation!"

"Please remain calm and listen to Atlas Personnel on the way to Vale!" Doctor Oobleck advised.

Weiss stood in shocked silence as she looked upon at the state of her friends. Ren and Nora were still nursing wounds from the battle with the Paladins, but it was the conditions of Blake and Yang that gave the heiress pause. That's when Ruby finally arrived.

"I finally found you! I was looking everywhere!" The two hugged.

"Have you seen, Natsu?" Weiss asked quickly. Ruby shook her head.

"No I haven't. Where are Blake and Yang?"

Weiss dropped her head and stepped aside, allowing Ruby to see their teammates. The sight shook the young girl. Blake was lying on the ground clutching the bloodied bandage on her right side. Her condition was bad enough, but it was Yang's that truly frightened her. Her older sister lied unconscious next to Blake, her right arm missing from the forearm down.

Blake sniffed and grabbed Yang's remaining hand tightly. "I'm so sorry, Ruby." She apologized. "I couldn't…"

"Yang…" Ruby uttered.

"Hey." Sun approached Ruby, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She'll be ok. Yang's too tough to let this stop her. The soldiers have got a ship ready to take you guys to Vale. We should hurry."

"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still out there." Nora spoke up. She tried to move, but the pain was too much and she sat back down.

"So is Natsu." Weiss added. "I'm not going anywhere without my brother."

"In case you guys haven't noticed that thing is circling the tower!" Sun pointed to the Dragon flying overhead. "Even the White Fang are starting to retreat. We gotta go! Now!"

"We're not leaving without our friends." Ren weakly asserted.

"I'll find them." Ruby declared. "I'll find them all and bring them back."

"You're not going alone." Weiss voiced. "I'm coming too. I can't very well let you run off on your own again. Who knows what sort of trouble you will get into?" She turned to the others. "Watch over Blake and Yang for us. We'll be right back." Before they took off, Blake called out to them.

"Natsu…You have to bring him back."

Weiss nodded. "Of course we will. Just stay here and rest." She and Ruby took off.

"You better come back!" Sun yelled. "Idiots."

 _"I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love. Starting with **him**."_

Blake clutched Yang's hand tighter as she thought of Adam's threat. "Please…bring him back…"

* * *

Pyrrha and Jaune could still hear the rumblings from the battle between Cinder and Ozpin down below as they rushed out of Beacon Tower.

"I think I have Glynda's number." Jaune grabbed his scroll and started searching. "Come on. Where is it?"

Pyrrha stared at the tower. All she could think about was Cinder. Though the process had been halted, Pyrrha could feel just how powerful Amber truly was for a brief moment. At half of her strength the Fall Maiden still had enough power to give the redhead pause. She could hardly fathom just how powerful Cinder had become now that she had full access to those abilities. Then there was Natsu.

Sure Ozpin would more than likely protect him, but for how long? Pyrrha surmised that while the Headmaster was indeed a strong warrior, his power would not be enough to defeat a Maiden.

"Pyrrha?"

The redhead looked to her partner when he called her.

"What was all of that down there?" Jaune had been surprisingly composed while in the vault, but now that he had a bit of time to settle the questions on his brain started to flood out and the fear started to set in again.

"I-"

A rumble interrupted Pyrrha's answer. Cinder was flying through the elevator shaft like a rocket. An unconscious Natsu firmly in her grasp.

"She grabbed Natsu?" Jaune gasped. "But what about…Ozpin?" He tried not the think about the fate of his Headmaster, but all signs pointed to him not surviving.

"Go!" Pyrrha suddenly ordered. "Get to Vale and call for help!"

"But what are you going to do?"

When Jaune saw Pyrrha's eyes focused on the tower he went into a panic.

"What?! Oh no. No. No. No! Pyrrha you can't! You saw how strong she is! You can't beat her! I can't let you-"

Pyrrha suddenly used her Semblance to push Jaune into a nearby locker. She then typed the coordinates for Vale on the keypad.

"Pyrrha, stop!" Jaune begged. "Please don't do this!"

"I'm sorry." She apologized with a sad smile. "But I can't leave him behind."

"Pyrrha~!" the locker blasted off and Pyrrha raced back into the tower.

When she saw that Cinder had blasted a hole clean through the elevator, she focusing all of her energy and rocketed herself to the top floor with her Semblance. _I'm coming, Natsu!_

* * *

When Natsu finally came to, he was greeted by an odd feeling of warmth. His eyelids twitched opened and when his vision cleared his first sight was that of a smiling Cinder. His head was rested comfortably on her lap.

"You're finally awake."

"Cinder…?" Natsu rasped. "What's going on?" he started to sit up, placing his hand on his throbbing head.

"Careful. You took quite a blow to the head."

"I had this weird dream that you, Mercury, and Emerald were evil and attacked the school with a bunch of Grimm and White Fang members."

"Good and Evil are relative terms, but I can assure you that what you experienced was no dream. I'm afraid it was all quite real."

"What?" Natsu took in his new surroundings. "Why are we in Ozpin's office?"

Cinder stood up, dusted her dress off, and walked over to the window. "This is the highest point in the tower. As well as the place where all the lies will crumble to dust."

Just then the Grimm Dragon floated in front of the window. When it screeched Natsu prepared himself for a fight. Cinder stayed his hand.

"It's ok, Natsu." she said sweetly. "You need not be frightened. It will do you no harm. Will you?" As if understanding the Maiden's words the Dragon settled.

Natsu eased up, but remained cautious. "Where are Ozpin and Amber?"

Cinder looked to him apologetically. "Unfortunately they did not make it out of the vault."

Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean they…"

Cinder nodded. "Trapped under a mountain of rubble. I apologize to you for the measures I had to take, but like I said before I did none of this to hurt you. In fact until I met you I never thought that I could feel...guilt. Not for my plans no, but for how they would affect you."

"What the hell are you going on about?"

Cinder engulfed her hand in flames. "These feelings are a new thing for me, so I might not be able to explain them properly. But I will try. For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be powerful. I wanted to be **strong**. I was an orphan. Born in Mistral with no mother or father that neither looked for nor wanted me. At an early age I learned the only person I could truly depend on was myself.

While most children spent their formative years learning to read and write, I used mine to question this world we live in. More specifically those who claim to be in charge of it. No matter where I turned my young eyes only saw the most horrific sides of humanity. Lies, corruption, pain, racism, discrimination, and betrayal were all as normal as breathing. It was sickening.

And so I set out to change this rotten world from the inside out. I would rip control away from those playing god and show them just how worthless and pathetic they truly were. Soon enough I found followers who shared in those ideals."

"Emerald and Mercury." Natsu deduced. Cinder nodded.

"I made deals with criminals and murderers, and once I was bold enough I sought out attaining the powers of a Maiden."

Natsu thought back to Amber's body in the vault. "So she had to die just because you think the world's a crappy place?"

"Simply put, yes. As I said before her sacrifice was a necessary one for the new world we were setting out to create. You saw the state she was in that pod. If anything I granted her mercy by ending her suffering. To be perfectly honest any Maiden would have done, she just happened to be the first one we found."

"You're crazy."

Cinder smirked. "It doesn't surprise me that you see it from that perspective. Ozpin and his ilk were fairly effective in brainwashing you and yours. A revolution can only succeed by building over the bodies of those sacrificed for the cause. Once the dust settles this world will be returned it to its rightful owners."

"What 'rightful owners'?"

"Why the Grimm of course." Cinder motioned to the dragon. The creature roared in response to her. "Don't be afraid, Natsu. If you come with me you will see just how righteous this crusade is."

Natsu narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think I'd join you after everything you've done?"

"Because you understand how it feels." Cinder approached the pinkette. "You told me before that you feel like you do not belong. You felt like an outcast. I feel the same as you. I've always felt that I was destined for great things beyond the limits of this world. That I was made for much a greater hand than what was dealt, and I was right.

This power was always meant to be used by my hands. Everything I willed to happen, has. But the final piece to the puzzle still eludes me."

"Yeah?" Natsu started to walk backpeddale. "And what's that?"

Suddenly Cinder sped up until her nose was almost touching Natsu's. She stared directly into his black eyes, stopping his advance as she gently pressed her hand against his cheek.

"You." She answered. "With you by my side nothing in this world could oppose us. I can see the desire in your eyes. You want to break away from the chains that bind you. You yearn to be free just as I do."

Natsu tried to look away but Cinder forced his attention back to her.

"In the eyes of the people we are outcasts. Misfits. We are forced to conform to a world that is too afraid to think for itself, constantly weighed down by an oppressive cabal of so-called 'leaders' who are too hungry for power to tell their people the truth of the darkness around them. All because they fear that their meager grasp on said power will slip. What does that secrecy earn us?Death.

We get tragedies like the Great War and Mountain Glenn all because those in charge value status and power over the lives of their species. Humans are fickle, disgusting creatures. Why must we be made kneel to a species that has failed time and again to evolve? They should be begging for forgiveness and groveling at the feet of they've wronged. They should all be made to pay for their arrogance."

Natsu had finally realized that Cinder was too far gone for him to reason with. She was psychotic. He had no other way to describe it. There was nothing good within her at all. Only darkness and hate. For all of her boasting of 'freeing the people', the only person she wanted to free was herself.

"When I first claimed half of the Maiden's power, there was an emptiness within me." Cinder said. "A burning hunger that I thought could only be sated by claiming the missing half, but then I met you." She inched closer.

"That night in Vale I was intrigued by you, but after seeing your beautiful flames in display during the initiation…I yearned for you. Can you not feel it as well?" Cinder's eyes started glowing. "Your power and mine. They're two sides of the same coin. We complete each other, Natsu. You complete…me."

Cinder pulled Natsu in and - much to the pinkette's shock – pressed her lips against his. It was a heated, hungry kiss filled with lust and desire. Natsu could feel his body heating up from the inside the longer he and Cinder connected. It was similar feeling to when he ate dust. Remembering himself, he pushed Cinder away and wiped his lips clean.

"Get away from me!"

Cinder looked at him with saddened eyes. "Please, Natsu. Do you not feel the same way I do? Do you not feel how much stronger you were the moment our lips touched?"

"I don't know what I felt." He spat. "I don't really get this whole 'change the world' and 'revolution' crap you're spouting, but I like the world the way it is now. My friends and family are all here. That's all I need to make my life worth living."

Natsu equipped Black summer and ignited his fists. "I hoped I could get through to you, but you're too far gone. I should have stopped you way before things got this bad, but I wasn't paying attention. I'm going to fix everything. I'm going to stop you, Cinder. No one else is going to end up like Penny, Ozpin, or Amber."

Cinder was heartbroken at his words. She thought Natsu of all people would understand her feelings. She thought she'd found a kindred spirit in him. She ignited her hands. "If that is what you think then I cannot change your mind. If you will not come willingly then I will take you by force."

"Just try it."

The two readied themselves for battle when the elevator doors flew open. Out flew a yellow and red sword – whizzing past Cinder's head – followed by a similarly colored shield. Natsu recognized the weapons instantly.

"That's…"

Pyrrha emerged from the elevator box. She pressed her shield against Cinder's defense. The Maiden pushed her back to the stunned Natsu.

"I'm so glad you're alright." She smiled at him.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu scolded. "I told you to get away. Where's Jaune?"

"He's fine. I sent him to Vale."

"You should have went with him. Cinder is my problem."

"I wasn't going to leave you behind, Natsu." The redhead said adamantly.

"Pyrrha…"

"Whether you like or not I am staying. If we face her together than we can win, right?"

Natsu saw the determined grin on Pyrrha's face and nodded. "Let's do it!" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a red dust crystal.

"Where did you get that?" Pyrrha gasped.

"I took it from Weiss when I ran into her and Blake earlier just in case. Looks like it was good that I did."

"Natsu, you can't!" Pyrrha fretted. "Last time you-"

"Don't worry." Natsu smiled at his girlfriend. "I can handle it."

Pyrrha watched apprehensively as Natsu ate the crystal.

Cinder clenched her fists in anger. Despite Natsu's venomous words to her, Pyrrha had managed to bring a smile to his face. She was never able to do that. Her eyes glowed as she floated in air, awaiting for the pair to make their first move. Natsu and Pyrrha gave a each other a short nod and moved to opposite ends of the room. Natsu was the first to charge. Dodging Cinder's fire, he lunged forward with punch that narrowly missed the Maiden's head. He turned and kicked Cinder in the back, sending her falling to Pyrrha.

The redhead charged shield first. She struck Cinder with enough force for the maiden to crash through Ozpin's desk. As Cinder moved the debris away, she saw Natsu falling with a fist engulfed in flames. She evaded to the left. Natsu swung the back of his foot. Cinder ducked and pushed him through a nearby pillar.

"Natsu!" Pyrrha shouted.

Cinder turned her attention the redhead. She held out her hand, shooting out a large stream of fire. Pyrrha raised her shield, but Natsu reappeared. He opened his mouth and ate the flames.

"Thanks for the meal." He burped. Pyrrha leapt from behind him and swung with her sword. Cinder caught it the blade and forced the redhead back against the wall with a wave of her hand. She was racing to finish her off when a hard flaming kick from Natsu knocked her into the window with enough impact to crack it. Cinder regained her bearings quick enough to see Natsu sprinting towards her.

Natsu charged, his first punch missed – completely shattering the window in the process. No matter where Cinder ran Natsu followed, his strikes barely making contact with her. He was starting to get mad. He reached and finally grabbed Cinder by the arm. He slammed her to the ground and pulled back his fist.

Before he could follow up, Cinder wrapped her legs around his head and threw him back towards the elevator. When Natsu rose to his feet, both Pyrrha and Cinder noticed something had happened to his body. It looked like he had reptilian scales under his eyes on his forehead.

"What is this?" Cinder questioned. _Is he a faunus? No that's not it. This is something completely different._

"Natsu," Pyrrha utttered. "What's-"

"I'm fine." he replied quickly.

"But, you-"

"I said I'm fine!" his shout startled the redhead. "Just back me up!" He raced off.

Cinder's eyes widened. _He's faster than before!_

Before Cinder could react Natsu punched her in the face. The shock sent her reeling, but Natsu wasn't done. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her back to him, nearly pulling her arm out of socket. Natsu forced his knee into Cinder's stomach. The Maiden gasped for air and doubled over. Pyrrha was speechless.

He's actually overtaken her. Just then the warrior noticed something approaching the tower from the corner of her eye.

Natsu hoisted Cinder in the air by the neckline of her dress. Despite her less than advantageous position, the Maiden was smiling.

"Why the hell are you smiling?" Natsu demanded.

"I knew that you were the one." She uttered, her Aura starting to heal her wounds. "Your power is magnificent."

"Natsu, look out!"

Pyrrha's shout made Natsu look to the window. The Grimm Dragon was flying towards them at top speed. Slightly loosening his grip on Cinder, the Maiden used the opportunity to counter. She grabbed Natsu's wrist and fully released his hold on her. She then forced the point of her elbow into his stomach.

The impact broke apart the top of the tower, the Dragon – only being used a diversion – flying over the explosion.

When the dust settled, Pyrrha was seated against the remains of a pillar. Clearing her head of dizziness she saw Cinder standing over a groggy Natsu. She looked for her weapons, seeing her only shield next to her now broken sword. Frantically searching the battlefield for something else to use, Pyrrha used her semblance to hurl a broken metal arch into Cinder. She grabbed her shield and ran to Natsu's side.

"Are you alright?! Can you stand?!"

"Yeah. I'm good." Natsu said. "Give me a sec."

The redhead helped her boyfriend to his feet just as Cinder revived. "I think I have a plan. Can you distract her for a few moments?"

"Yeah." The pinkette nodded. He dashed ahead charged while Pyrrha gathered energy.

When Natsu reached Cinder to attack, his body started to ache. The dust enhancement was starting wear off. _Just hold on a little longer!_ He kicked at his former teammate. She effortlessly evaded him.

"You're slower than before." She taunted while dodging more of his strikes. "Has your little power-up exhausted itself already?"

The pinkette smirked. "No. I'm just trying to distract you."

"What?!"

Natsu jumped back and opened his mouth. _Let's hope it works this time!_

 _ **FIRE DRAGON ROAR**_

Cinder dispersed the torrent of flames, only to be surprised by a number of large gears floating around her. She looked ahead and saw Pyrrha with her hand held out. The redhead forced her hand downward, causing all of the gears to fall and trap Cinder.

"Natsu!"

The pinkette jumped into the air and held out his hands. _This is my last shot. Make it count!_ His hands ignited, and for the second time his body moved on its own.

 _ **CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE**_

Natsu spun his arms, creating a tornado of flames that descended upon Cinder. The explosion was massive, sending both he and Pyrrha flying to opposite ends of the battlefield. Natsu crashed through a pile of metal and Pyrrha slammed against a broken section of the wall back first, gasping for air as her aura faded.

Ruby and Weiss saw the massive blast from the ground. After receiving a rather hysterical call from Jaune, the pair were en route to Beacon Tower. Unfortunately they were blocked off from the tower by a horde of Grimm.

"That fire!" Weiss pointed. "That must have been Natsu!"

"We have to hurry!" Ruby shouted.

With a wave of her hand Weiss created a line of glyphs leading to the top of the tower. "Go! I'll cover you!"

Ruby nodded and took off and raced up the side of the tower. As Weiss watched her leader go she felt a tightness in her chest. Not long ago she noticed her spare fire dust crystal was missing. She had no doubt that Natsu had taken it when she last saw him. She looked to the top of the tower. She could feel it. Something terrible was about to happen.

"Big Brother." She uttered.

When the dust settled at the top of the tower, Cinder emerged from the smoldering crater to the shock of her enemies. Her clothes were tattered, and her body was riddled with numerous cuts and burns. Her Aura healed them all.

"She's too powerful." Pyrrha strained. She clutched her side.

Cinder walked to Natsu. He was lying prone, tying in vain to stand, but his body simply refused to listen to him. The effects of the dust had fully worn off.

 _Dammit! Not now!_

When he looked up to Cinder the scales on his body were gone. He was back to normal. Cinder took note of this phenomena. She stood in front of him, watching with pity as he tried to stand.

"Why must you continue to reject me, Natsu?" she asked. "Can you not see how foolish all of this this fighting has become? Look at you. You can barely stand on your own power."

"Shut up…" Natsu breathed. He briefly made it to a knee before collapsing again. "You're…a liar...and a murderer. You have to pay…for what you did." Though his breathing was labored, and his body was weak, his eyes still shined in defiance.

"Get away from him!"

Using the last of her strength Pyrrha turned her body and slung her shield at Cinder. Quickly, the Maiden fired an arrow. Cinder's arrow disintegrated when it touched Pyrrha's shield, only to reform on the other side. The arrow hit Pyrrha square in the ankle. She cried out in pain as she fell to the ground.

"Pyrrha!"

Cinder noticed the look of fear and anger in Natsu's eyes and decided to use it. "You leave me no other choice." she said.

"What are you talking about?!" Natsu watched Cinder walk away. "Where are you going?! Come back here! Cinder!"

Cinder ignored the pinkette's cries and methodically paced to the front of the downed Pyrrha. The redhead attempted to stand, but the muscles in her achilles tendon were completely destroyed. She couldn't put any weight on her right ankle.

"To be honest I briefly entertained the idea of bringing you into the fold." Cinder admitted. She lifted the redhead's chin so they could see directly into each other's eyes. "Someone as powerful as you would have no doubt served as a very ponderful ally, but unfortunately you are too self-righteous and foolhardy to be of any real use."

"The only self-righteous one here is you." Pyrrha spat, forcing her head out of Cinder's grip.

"I pity you, Pyrrha Nikos. You were promised a power that was never truly yours, but now you must bear witness to me use it in ways you could never imagine. Once I rid this world of you, Natsu will be forced to see this world for what it truly is and serve at my side."

"Even if you were to kill me, he'd never join you. No one would. You're just another delusional psychopath."

Cinder stared at Pyrrha's defiant stare a few seconds longer before taking a step back and creating a bow and arrow.

"Cinder, stop!" Natsu shouted. "Don't do it!" he punched the ground. _Come on! Move!_ Slowly he started to rise as if some unknown force was pulling him to his feet.

Pyrrha closed her eyes and awaited the end. She heard Cinder let go of her arrow, but she felt no pain. When Pyrrha opened her eyes, she was horrified to see Natsu between her and Cinder. The Maiden's arrow planted firmly in his chest.

"No!" Pyrrha gasped in shock.

Cinder was disturbed as well, she dropped the bow and watched Natsu crumble to his knees.

"Why?!" she screamed at him. "Why did you do that?!"

Natsu fell back into Pyrrha's arms. Despite the burning pain in his chest, he smiled weakly. "Barely…made it." He said.

"Why would you do something so reckless?!" Pyrrha sobbed.

"Sorry…my body just moved on its own."

Tears streamed down Pyrrha's face and onto Natsu's chest. She could feel him fading away. "It's ok." she said desperately. "You'll be fine. Just hold on a little longer."

Natsu gave Pyrrha one last wide smile. "Don't cry...I'll be...ok..." Natsu took one last breath, and his body went limp.

"Natsu?" Pyrrha called. She was in such shock that she couldn't do anything else but call his name. She couldn't even cry. She refused to accept that he was gone. "Natsu? Natsu, wake up. Wake up!" she shook his body, but it was no use. Natsu was gone. "Please...please wake up."

Cinder clenched her teeth in fury. In her rage she created another bow and arrow and pointed at Pyrrha. Her eyes – red with anger and hatred – misted with hot tears.

"You did this!" she accused Pyrrha. "You're the reason he died! You will suffer for this! All of you!"

Just before Cinder could fire Ruby finally arrived at the top of the tower.

"Ruby?!" Pyrrha shouted, tears still streaming down her face. "What are you doing here?!"

"I came to…" When Ruby saw Natsu's body she trailed off. "Natsu? What...is he...?"

"Ruby, he-"

Cinder shot Pyrrha in the arm with an arrow, making her cry out in pain.

"Quiet!" the maiden demanded. She looked to Ruby. "You will be next! You and all of your friends will pay for Natsu's death!" She readied her next arrow for Pyrrha's heart.

Ruby felt a welling of anger and sadness within her at the sound of the word "death". It happened again. Someone else she cared for had fallen victim to Cinder. First Penny, then Yang, and now...Natsu.

The pain was too much for the young girl to bear anymore. Her silver eyes started to glow and she cried out in anguish, engulfing everything in a flash of white. Including the Grimm Dragon, Cinder, Pyrrha…and Natsu.

* * *

Taiyang Xiao Long closed his eyes after what felt like an eternity. Ever since Ruby and Yang had returned from Beacon, he had been beside himself with worry. Running himself ragged, he tended to his daughters as best he could without breaking down himself. Ruby was still unconscious - had been for nearly three days - while Yang was an emotional wreck.

Since coming home his eldest daughter had yet to speak a word. She wouldn't speak about what happened at Beacon, but Taiyang knew not to force her for fear that she would shut him out completely...just like her mother.

His head slowly inching forward, he woke up with a start when he heard his youngest daughter's voice.

"Dad?"

He ran to her bedside. "Ruby, you're awake! Oh thank god!"

"Dad…what happened?" Ruby rasped.

"You're Uncle Qrow found you unconscious, but don't worry, honey. You're safe now. He got you out just in time."

Ruby's eyes went wide. "Wait! Yang! Is she ok?!"

Taiyang took a minute to answer. "She's…she's gonna be fine. She's resting in her room right now. She just…she needs some time to cope with what happened, but she'll be back to her old self in no time." He smiled. "I'm just glad you two are safe here at home."

"What about the school and Vale?! Did they clear out the Grimm?!"

"Things in Vale are settled, but the school is a bit more…complicated. That monster or whatever it was apparently didn't die. You really did a number on it, but it's just…I guess 'frozen' would be the right word. That may not sound bad, but it's still attracting Grimm to the school."

"Wait, what did I do?" Ruby asked. "How did I 'do a number on it'?"

"I meant…it's nothing major. Don't worry abut it. We can discuss it later. What's important now is that you get some rest."

"Father's right, kid."

Ruby and Taiyang turned to Qrow standing in the doorway. As usual he was taking a drink from his flask.

"Mind if I borrow her for a bit?" Qrow asked Taiyang.

"Is there a problem with me being here?" The worried father retorted.

Qrow's face softened. "Tai."

Taiyang sighed and stood up. He kissed Ruby on the forehead. "I'll go make some tea." He walked out of the room, glaring at Qrow as he passed him by.

Qrow took a seat next to Ruby's bed. "How ya feeling, kiddo?"

"I hurt…a lot."

Her uncle chuckled. "Sounds about right after what you did."

"What does that mean?! What did I do?!"

Qrow leaned in. "Tell me. What's the last thing you remember before blacking out?"

"I was running to the top of the tower." Ruby recalled. "When I got there I saw Pyrrha and Natsu and…" Ruby's eyes widened. "Natsu and Pyrrha! Are they ok?!"

"Pyrrha Nikos is fine. She had couple nasty injuries but she'll recover."

"What about Natsu?!"

Qrow looked down to the ground in shame. "He…he didn't make it."

Tears stung Ruby's eyes, but she continued her story. "I reached the top and saw Natsu, and Pyrrha, and Cinder," when she said the Maiden's name Ruby gnashed her teeth in anger and gripped the edge of her blanket. "Then everything went white."

"Is that it?"

"My head hurt...a lot."

"The night you met Ozpin, what was the first thing he said to you?"

"What? I-I don't know. I think it was about-"

"Silver eyes." Qrow finished. "It's a pretty rare condition."

"So?" Ruby shrugged. She didn't understand what this had to do with anything.

"You're special, Ruby, and not in the 'Daddy loves his special little angel' kind of way. You're **really** special. Just like your mom was. Remnant's full of legends and stories. Some true some false, but there is one story that Ozpin told me about a time before Huntsmen and even Kingdoms. It was said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior.

According to legend they were so powerful that even the Grimm feared them. One look from these guys would strike the monsters down on the spot. It's a pretty ridiculous story though."

"Do you think that I'm…?"

"Well a giant monster is currently stuck at the top of Beacon Tower while you're safe in bed. It's not hard to connect the dots." Qrow walked to the window and looked out at the setting sun.

"I don't get it. How do you know what Ozpin said to me?" Ruby asked.

Qrow sighed. "All those jobs I took were for Ozpin, but now he's missing. With him gone I have to grab the wagon and run with it. Pick up where he left off."

"What about me? You said I was special, right? That means I can help."

"The best way for you to help right now is to get some rest. You're in no condition to be going anywhere right now." Qrow walked to the doorway, but briefly stopped and looked over his shoulder with a grin. "The enemy's trail leads to Haven. That's way too far for a pipsqueak like you." With those oddly specific words Qrow left Ruby alone.

Ruby looked down at her hands for a moment before gazing at her own reflection in the mirror across from her bed. She desperately tried to understand just why Cinder and her group did all of this. Why so much chaos and desctrution? Why did Natsu and Penny have to die? What was this power she herself supposedly wielded? What use was it if she couldn't even save her friends?

Nothing made sense. All she could do was wipe away the tears.

* * *

When Yang wasn't sleeping or eating, the only thing she did was watch the leaves fall from the trees. She was no longer angry or sad about what happened during the battle at Beacon. She just felt…empty. Nothing really mattered anymore. When her door creaked open, her little sister poked her head in.

"Yang?"

The blonde spared her sister a brief glance, but otherwise remained silent. When she saw her start to walk away she softened.

"Ruby."

When she finally faced her younger sister, tears formed in her eyes for the first time in days. Ruby rushed over and hugged her tight.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I'm not." Yang flatly replied. Ruby let her go, her eyes falling to the nub where her sister's right arm used to be. "It's all gone. The school, Penny…Natsu." She struggled to say his name aloud. Some things still hurt.

"Where are Weiss and Blake?"

"Weiss' father came to get her."

The revelation shocked Ruby. "How? What happened?"

"No one outside of Vale knows what really happened during the attack. Before the tower fell all the world saw was Atlas robots targeting civilians and Grimm destroying the city. People are scared. They don't know who to trust. So Weiss' father came to take her back to Atlas. Where he thinks it will be safe. It was terrible." Yang placed her head in her hand, biting her lip in frustration as she recalled the events. "Weiss wouldn't stop crying. She was out of control. She refused to leave without Natsu's body. It took almost four soldiers just to put her on the ship. Then they loaded Natsu's body in the back and took off."

"Blake-"

"She ran away!" Yang interrupted. "Sun saw her. When we got to the city she just…she just took off! I don't know why. No one does. But honestly, I don't care." Yang looked away again.

"But there has to be a reason why!" Ruby argued. "Blake wouldn't just-"

"Of course she would!" Yang snapped. "She said running was she's good at right? I guess she was just waiting for the right time."

"Yang…you don't mean that."

"So what if I do? Sometimes bad things just happen, Ruby. And there's nothing we can do about it."

"So…what now?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing." Yang answered firmly. "You can do whatever you want." She looked at her nub. "I'm just going to lie here."

"Yang…" Ruby reached out to her sister.

"Just leave me alone…all right?"

With a frown Ruby accepted her sister's wishes and walked away. When she reached the door way she said one last thing to her sister before leaving.

"I love you."

Yang wiped the tears from her eyes, watching as the last leaf fell from the tree outside of her window. However, a few branches above where that leaf was held, a raven watched her for a few momenrs before flying away.

* * *

Ruby's feet crunched in the winter snow as she walked through the Schnee Family garden. She was followed by Jaune, Ren, and Nora. The winds were cold and bitter in Atlas, stinging any exposed skin they breezed across; but the foursome moved forward undaunted.

The group reached a lone tombstone just beyond a couple of rose bushes, Ruby brushed the snow from the top of it and stood back. On the tombstone read:

 **Here Lies Natsu Schnee**

 **Though not a Schnee by blood, his fire will continue to light our family's way for eternity.**

"Hey, Natsu." Ruby greeted. It took everything she had to keep from crying. "Sorry we couldn't make it to the funeral. Weiss said that only close family were allowed at the ceremony. I brought Jaune, Nora, and Ren with me. We just wanted to visit before we left for Haven.

That's where Uncle Qrow said Cinder's group originally came from." Ruby fell silent for a moment, thinking of what to say next. This was much harder than she thought. She had talked to her mom's grave numerous times, but with Natsu it was different. Her memories of her mother were somewhat hazy because of how young she was when she died, but hers of Natsu were so vivid. It was only a few months ago that she had seen him alive and smiling, but it was also a few months ago that she had seen Pyrrha cradling his body. She could never forget that memory.

"Yang's doing ok by the way. She's still depressed about everything happened, but I know she'll bounce back in no time. Nothing keeps her down for long." Ruby forced herself to smile. When she thought of Blake she frowned again.

"No one knows where Blake is. Yang said she ran away when they reached the city. I don't know why, but I promise I'll find her. I know she's out there somewhere. She probably blames herself for what happened to Yang. She always does that. Blame herself I mean. Oh! I almost forgot. Pyrrha's here too. She stayed inside the mansion with Weiss though. I guess she's not ready to see you yet."

Ruby slowly clenched her fist tighter and tighter until it shook. The memory of Cinder standing over Natsu and Pyrrha forced itself to the front of her mind. "I'll make Cinder pay for what she did. Your death won't be in vain." She eased up when she felt Jaune's hand on her shoulder.

"We should get going." He said.

"Ok." Ruby nodded. "We're leaving now, Natsu. I promise I'll visit again when we get back. See you later." She waved to Natsu's tombstone and walked with the others back towards the mansion.

"You ok?" Jaune asked, noticing the sad look on Ruby's face.

Ruby wiped away a couple of tears. "Yeah. I'm fine. Are you guys sure you want to come along with me? Haven is pretty far away."

"Yeah, but it's the only lead we got." The blonde replied.

"The journey may perilous, and there is no sure way to know if we will find answers at the end of it," Ren started.

"But we wouldn't come all this way if we weren't ready." Nora finished.

"Besides, we owe Natsu as well as everyone else who died to search for answers." Jaune added.

Ruby smiled at her friends. "Right."

Pyrrha and Weiss watched the group approach the mansion.

Pyrrha bowed to Weiss. "We're sorry for the intrusion."

"Please it was no trouble." The heiress assured. "You're all Natsu's family just as much as I was. I'm sure you all being here made him happy. Well it would have if all of you went down there…"

Pyrrha looked away in shame. "I…I still can't."

Weiss smiled sadly. "I'm just poking fun. I can't bring myself to visit that tombstone either. I even skipped the funeral. I keep having this dream. In it Natsu rises up from the ground covered in dirt and grass." Weiss started to tear up. "He'd get angry and ask why we buried him alive. I'd always say it was a joke, then he would smile that stupid grin of his and I…I can't..."

"Weiss." Pyrrha said sadly.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me." The heiress apologized with a sniff. Somehow she had managed to keep it together. "It's just…going down there would mean that this is actually all real. Natsu, my brother, would really be gone, and I don't want to accept that yet. I can't." She handed Pyrrha the bag that had been hanging over her shoulder since the group arrived. "Here this is for you."

"What is it?" the redhead asked.

"Just something to show my appreciation for you all coming."

When Pyrrha opened the bag her eyes widened in shock. Neatly folded inside the bag was Natsu's scarf.

"I…I can't accept this." Pyrrha refused. "I shouldn't-"

"Please. Take it." Weiss insisted. "It holds too many memories for me to hold on to it. Besides, I know he'd want for you to have it."

When Pyrrha looked back down to the scarf her eyes started misting. All she could think about was Natsu's smile. No matter what that smile would show itself. Even in his final moment's the pinkette's smile shone through.

Pyrrha finally cried for the first time since Natsu died. Her tears not stopping, she pressed her face into the scarf. "I'm sorry." Her painful sobs were muffled by the scarf. "I'm so so sorry. Forgive me. Please forgive me, Natsu..."

Weiss pulled Pyrrha in for a hug, rubbing the back of her head as they both fell to their knees. Pyrrha sobbed even harder.

* * *

Beacon Academy now belonged to the Grimm. Though the Dragon remained frozen at the top of the tower, the other Grimm still migrated onto the school grounds en masse.

Glynda Goodwitch tried her best to repair the broken remains of the city, but her power had been severely drained over the past few days with various other relief efforts. Even repairing a simple shop proved too much for her now neutered telekinesis. She slumped over, her breaths heavy as she looked through the ruins of Vale.

It would certainly be a long road to recovery. For everyone.

Blake Belladonna could see the visage of the Grimm Dragon from as far as the rooftops of the city. She stopped running and took a moment to process what happened. Everything she had built for herself had been ripped away once again. Her school was now a mecca for vicious monsters, her friends had been scattered to the winds, and Natsu was…that was one thing she still couldn't think about.

She blamed herself for all of it. It was the only thing she knew how to do. That and run. So ran she did. Her destination had yet to be determined, but wherever it was she hoped that she could finally attain redemption.

* * *

Sometime after Ruby and the others left, Weiss found herself staring up at her room's ceiling. Every fiber in her being was screaming for her to join Ruby's journey, but her father's orders were absolute. She was to stay in Atlas from this moment forward.

Normally she would have protested, but with Natsu gone she just didn't have it in her to fight anymore. There was also a matter of the promise Natsu had made to their father. According to Winter - who she had seen attend Natsu's funeral - when Weiss was admitted to Beacon their father was still unwilling to let her go. This angered Natsu and the two had an argument which culminated with an agreement. If Natsu could guarantee Weiss' safety while she was enrolled in Beacon, their father would let her run free as she wished, but in return Natsu would have to take her place in the company.

When Weiss first heard about this bargain she was angry at both Natsu and their father. They had made this decision without thinking of her feelings in the slightest, but when she thought on it more. She was sad that her brother had to give up his freedom so she could do what she wanted. It didn't feel right. He had no obligation to help run the company, but he did it so she could live her life the way she wanted. When she thought of it that way she wanted to cry all over again.

As she contemplated her now uncertain future, Emily suddenly burst into the room.

"Young Mistress!"

"Emily?!" Weiss nearly fell out of bed. "What's going on?! Why are you barreling though the door like a madwoman?"

The head maid composed herself as best she could and answered the heiress. "It's Natsu's grave…there's been an incident."

Weiss hesitated. She still wasn't ready to go to that place. However the distressed look on Emily's face eroded her worries away. She had never seen the head maid like this before. Weiss steeled herself. "Take me to it."

Weiss followed after Emily as well as a handful of other house staff to Natsu's grave.

"Young mistress!" one of the gardeners exclaimed upon seeing her.

"What happened here?"

When Weiss finally arrived at the gravesite she was horrified by what she saw before her.

The ground had been dug up, the casket was open, and her brother's body was gone.

"Please..." she uttered. "Please let this be a dream too."

* * *

A lone figure stood on the top of a broken cliff side in an unknown location. Her pure white skin glistening in the dull moonlight, she looked out over her domain. A red fog spread across the broken rocks and purple crystals in the land, mirroring one's interpretation of Hell. Her body still, she spoke into the air.

"A smaller more honest soul. It is true that a simple spark can ignite hope and bring harmony to the hearts of the weary. The ability to deride strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power…on snuffing it out.

How does it feel to know that all of your time and effort has been for naught? That your guardians have failed you, and that everything you've built will be torn down in front of your very eyes?

You can take solace in the fact that your faith in mankind was not **completely** misplaced. When banded together by a common enemy they are quite a noticeable threat, but divide them – place doubt into their minds – and what meager of power they thought they had will wash away. Of course at first they won't notice it. Like you they will cling to their small hopes and aspirations; but this is only the first move in a very long game.

So send your guardians, huntsmen, and huntresses; but when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul know that you send her to the same pitiful demise. Your one hope was the lost child – the anomaly with no place in this word – but your arrogance and attempts at 'protection' led to his light being prematurely extinguished. Though you need not fret, I will give his life new purpose. This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin. And I can't wait to watch you burn."

A Beowolf ascended the rocky stairway behind the woman, Natsu's still body in its arms.

"Place him there." The mysterious woman ordered.

The Grimm laid Natsu down next to her and walked away. The woman then knelt next to the pinkette and placed her hand on his chest. Her blackened eyes glowing red, a dark energy flowed from her body into his. When Natsu's body convulsed the woman removed her hand and stood up. "My lost child. Rise."

Natsu's eyes shot open, his sclera turning pitch black.

* * *

 **This is it! The end of Vol. 3! Sorry this took so long to put out, had a lot of running around today that kept me away from editing. A couple big changes (noticeably Pyrrha being alive). I know a lot of you were expecting Igneel and/or END, and while I'm sorry to disappoint just know that I have plans for both of them moving forward. As for Vol. 4...well you just have to wait and see. I have a few things to plot out for that arc, but I won't leave you hanging too long. Next time I update (which probably won't be for a little bit) we will finally tackle Natsu's arrival/early days in Remnant!**

 **As always leave a review/comment letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	34. Return

A lone figure cloaked in red walked through a dark forest. Their pace even and methodical, they constantly searched around for the presence of Grimm. Reaching a cliff at the edge of the forest, the red stranger watched as a once peaceful village burned in the distance.

Even from their position they could see the townspeople fleeing in terror, being hunted down by the numerous Grimm invaders about. Her eyes narrowing in anger at the sight, the stranger watched as a pair of Nevermore flew overhead.

She reached to her back, pulling out a rifle that elongated into a long crimson scythe. The figure jumped, using their scythe to hitch a ride on a third Nevermore following its flock. When the creature was over the village the figure pulled the trigger on the scythe, cutting off the Nevermore's wing as she fell to the ground.

As soon as Ruby Rose landed in the village, she was immediately noticed by the pack of the monsters. These Grimm were new to her. They moved like Creeps, but their masks were similar to Beowolves – if a bit longer. The spikes on their bodies also brought flashes of Ursai into her mind.

With a deep breath Ruby opened her eyes and sped forward. Her Semblance whisking her along the wind she killed the first Grimm she saw before swiftly slicing through another. Ruby danced in the town's square as she killed her enemies. Fighting had become second nature to her now. Before she had to think of a plan of attack, but now all she had to do was move and Crescent Rose would do the rest.

So focused on the action below, she was struck by a rock from above. Regaining her bearings Ruby noticed one of the monsters throwing pieces of the roof from the clock tower. She leapt into the air, her semblance spliting her body into three cloaks to avoid the monster's attack. When she came together behind the creature, she finished it with a shot in the back of its head.

The recoil launched her into a Nevermore, but she once again used her Semblance to get back to the ground. Her dismount was a shaky one, but she stayed on her feet long enough for the dust to settle. Looking around for any stragglers Ruby was suddenly struck in the face by a hard punch. She broke through the wooden door of the clock tower. When she stood up she gasped in shock. Before her was a Beringel, another new type of Grimm. this beast resembled a massive gorilla. Unfortunately it also had the strength and durability of ten of them.

The beast lunged at her with frightening speed for something its size, swinging its massive fists. Ruby leapt over the creature and charged. She stuck Crescent Rose into its side, but the Beringel was unfazed. It grabbed her by the head and punched her into a building engulfed in flames. Switching tactics Ruby folded Crescent Rose into its rifle mode and shot at the beast from the buildings. Thinking the high ground afforded her the advantage Ruby continued firing. She was too complacent.

A Beowolf appeared and the Beringel threw it at Ruby. She cleaved it in two with her scythe just as the Beringel – having jumped into the air – fell upon her. She narrowly avoided its attack.

Just as she had gotten smarter over the months, so had the Grimm. There were still once that were mindless but every once in a while she encountered Grimm like this Beringel. One that actually utilized some form of strategy.

Ruby and the Grimm charged at each other. Muzzle flares, smoke, sparks, and rose petals were all seen in the night air as beauty and beast clashed. Ruby had the upper hand in speed and agility, but the Beringel more than made up for it with strength and durability. The creature slammed its fists onto the roof of the building, causing it to cave in under the girl's feet. With a scream Ruby fell into the darkness of the wreckage. The Beringel jumped down to the stone path of the town square, beating its chest and roaring in victory.

Just as it started to leave, it sensed something coming from the clock tower. Slowly moving back to the building, the monster saw rose petals fluttering out from the open doorway. The creature roared, its prey was still alive.

Just then Ruby broke through the glass clock on the top floor. Flipping behind the beast, she cut its legs from under it with her scythe. As it fell over Ruby circled around it at high speed, creating a tornado that lifted the Beringel into the air. At the peak of the funnel, Ruby straightened Crescent Rose's blade and stabbed the Grimm in the chest. When they landed on the ground, Ruby fired a round in the monster's face; finally killing it.

When the Beringel's body turned to smoke, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. She felt a vibration in her pocket and opened her scroll. On it were portraits of each member of Team JNPR. They were in a broadcast/receiving feed.

"Ruby, are you alright?" Pyrrha asked.

"We saw smoke." Jaune said,

"We're on our way." Said Ren.

"Don't start without us." Teased Nora.

Ruby looked up from her scroll just in time to see a group of Grimm approach. With an eager smirk she spoke to her friends.

"You better hurry." She ended the call and put the scroll back in her pocket. "Ok. Who's first?" Just as Ruby started to attack, the Grimm backed away. "Don't tell me you're scared already? I've barely gotten started."

Ruby noticed something odd about the Grimm. They weren't frightened of her, far from it they weren't even looking in her direction. Their gazes were focused on the top of the clock tower. When Ruby turned her attention to where the Grimm were looking, her blood suddenly ran cold.

On the top of the tower stood a figure covered in black. Their cloak wafting in the chilled night breeze, Ruby felt an overwhelming pressure stemming from the stranger's black eyes. The Grimm turned tail and ran, leaving her alone with the new arrival.

"Who…?"

Without warning the figure disappeared from the tower. In an instant they reappeared in front of Ruby, kicking her back. Ruby used her scythe to stop herself and clutched her gut.

 _I barely saw them move. Is this guy White Fang? Or is he with Cinder's group?_

The figure moved again. Ruby swung her scythe, but her opponent slid under the arc and kicked her airborne. He jumped after her. When Ruby saw a sword jut out from the left side of her opponent's cloak she blocked the slash with Crescent Rose.

The figure grabbed onto her weapon and forced their elbow into her abdomen. Ruby wheezed and dropped to the ground like a stone. The figure lifted her from the cracked earth. Ruby saw the stranger smirking from beneath his hood. She grabbed his wrist, releasing his grip as she kicked the man in the face as hard as she could. As the figure slid back, Ruby dashed forward with her Semblance. The figure inhaled before suddenly bellowing out a torrent of black and orange flames.

Ruby changed her trajectory on dime and landed on a nearby rooftop. Her heart was beating so fast that she though she would die from shock. _Did that guy just…did he breath fire? But how?! Only one person I know did…_

Someone tapped Ruby's shoulder. Upon spinning around a kick to the side of the head forced the girl back to the village square, right before the feet of the cloaked man. Ruby struggled to her feet as her vision started to clear. The person that attacked her landed softly next to the man. She was a short girl with two-tone pink and brown hair – with white streaks on the pink side – and heterochromatic eyes. She spun an umbrella on her shoulder, waving at Ruby with a sadistic smile.

"Neopolitan?!" Ruby gasped. She hadn't seen the girl since the fight with Roman. Ruby had a feeling that she survived falling from the airship, but she wasn't expecting to find her here. Neopolitan loosed the blade from umbrella and stalked Ruby. The dark-redhead rose to her feet and slowly inched back as her enemies came closer.

 _I can't beat them! I have to get away!_

She fired at the ground wit Crescent Rose. The smokescreen stalled her opponents long enough for her speed away into the forest with her Semblance. When the smoke cleared Neopolitan prepared to give chase. Her partner stopped her.

"If she's too afraid to fight then let her run." He said. "Chasing cowards is annoying." The figure removed their hood, revealing spiky pink hair that shined in the moonlight. "Let's go, Neo. We gotta report back to Cinder."

Neopolitan nodded with a smile and stood next to her partner. She twirled her umbrella and in a flash of pink the two disappeared from the burning village.

* * *

Ruby grabbed her scroll as quickly as she could while racing through the forest. "Guys! Don't go to the village!" she said to team JNPR.

"What?" Jaune questioned. "Why not? We're almost there."

"Don't! Just meet me back at camp!"

"Ruby, you sound scared." Pyrrha noted with concern. "Did something happen?"

"Was it the Grimm?" Ren asked.

"No. Something worse."

"Like what?" Nora prompted.

Ruby thought back to the fight. That person in the cloak, their fighting style was somewhat familiar to Ruby. She next thought of the fire the figure conjured, followed by a very familiar face. One she thought perished a long time ago.

"…I don't know." she finally said. "I'll explain everything back at camp."

* * *

Far away in the Schnee Family Mansion in Atlas, Weiss furiously typed on her computer console as the moon loomed outside of her bedroom window. Her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep, but she couldn't stop. She refused to. After months of dead ends, false leads, and dashed hopes she had finally gotten the piece of information she was looking for.

Opening a folder sent to her from her contact in Mistral- a person going by the name "KB". Within the folder Weiss found a single picture with caption reading: "I found him". The picture itself depicted a lone figure surrounded by a circle of fire. Weiss hesitantly zoomed in on the silhouette. Weiss waited in agony as the pixelation cleared. When it finally did, the heiress covered her mouth almost immediately from shock. Her breath hitched, tears stinging her eyes as she started to cry in happiness.

She reached to the screen, her delicate fingers rubbing over the face of her brother.

"Natsu..." she uttered with a small smile. "You're alive."

* * *

 **I know I said I was going to post about Natsu's past, but after seeing the Vol. 4 short I couldn't help getting hit by this burst of inspiration and share it. The chapter is largely the same as the vol. 4 trailer (for those that hadn't seen it yet) but I added more stuff at the end to fit with Misplaced. I promise next time I'll get back on track.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	35. Arrival

The sky was a dark one, darker than usual actually. Professor Ozpin looked out of his office window, noting how there seemed to be fewer stars in the sky as he sipped his coffee. It made him realize just how lonely he truly was.

Another year had passed at Beacon Academy without any major incident. The students had all gone their own ways for the summer. Underclassmen went home - for they would return to the school in a matter of months as upperclassman. The newly graduated seniors would spend their summer - as well as a good majority of their lives - acclimating to their new roles as full-fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses. Ozpin could only hope he taught them well enough to succeed in their duty.

Glynda Goodwitch was gone as well. Having finally left for home an hour prior at Ozpin's request. She meant well, but the young teacher's eagerness to please was starting to wear out the Headmaster. He wasn't getting any younger. He couldn't use much more excitement in his life.

Taking another sip from his mug, a loud boom echoed from outside his window. The rumbling that followed violently jostled Ozpin, forcing him to drop his mug on the ground.

"What is going on?!" he looked to the sky. The clouds were starting to swirl, blanketing the few stars and darkening the sky even further. Lightning crackled from the opening of the clouds; ear-shattering thunder soon following. A few seconds later there was a bright flash and something shot out from the distortion. A ball of red and gold fire rocketed to the earth like a comet, whizzing past Ozpin's office window. The sonic boom cracked the glass – even managing to break a couple of the windows.

Ozpin grabbed his cane and took off just as the object crashed in the middle of Emerald Forest.

* * *

The moonlight filtering thorough the canopy of the trees provided some light, but not enough for Ozpin to see clearly. Tapping the bottom of his cane on the ground, he created a small ball of light that floated behind him to illuminate his path. Moving through the forest this late at night was dangerous indeed. Grimm were lurking everywhere, and it wouldn't take much provoking for one of them to attack the Headmaster. He had to be wary

"I'm sure it landed around this area."

He reached the open field in the middle of the forest. When he came upon the altar ruins he saw smoke rising from a small crater in front of him. Ozpin's eyes widened in shock. At the bottom of the crater was a child. He was a young boy - no older than age six of seven. He had spiky pink hair, and a scaled white scarf wrapped around his neck – it almost looked bigger than his body.

Ozpin slid into the crater and pulled the boy into his arms. He then looked up to the sky. It had returned to normal as if nothing had happened. _This boy came from that distortion?_ Thankfully the child was still breathing, but this only confused the headmaster even more. _How did he survive a fall like that?_ When the crisp summer air hit his face, Ozpin thought it best to take his leave with the boy. There was no telling what manner of Grimm would appear.

When he stepped back up to the grass Ozpin found himself surrounded by a group of Beowolves. The Headmaster could tell from the beasts' expressions that they had come for the child in his arms. _They must have been following the explosion as well._ He clutched the unconscious boy tighter to his chest and watched the monster's charge. In one swift motion Ozpin held the boy with one arm while striking at the beasts with his cane. He moved so fast he created afterimages. The Beowolves fell dead in a matter of seconds.

Ozpin walked past their disintegrating bodies, not sparing the beasts a passing glance as he held the boy.

* * *

Ozpin brought the boy to the school's infirmary. Using the state of the art equipment provided by Atlas, Ozpin examined the mysterious child as he laid on the operating table. He had yet to move.

"This boy's biology...it's unlike anything I've ever encountered before."

From the diagrams shown on the screens overhead, the boy's internal organs and skeletal structure appeared human but there were certain things that concernedOzpin. The boy's internal temperature was well over 100 degrees, but his vitals remained normal and his body was warm to the touch like any normal person. His aura levels were also at zero, but that was to be expected given his current state. And despite literally falling from the sky, he had no internal injures. There wasn't even a scratch on his body.

Ozpin ran his fingers over the picture of the boy's nervous system. Right where his nerves connecting to muscles in his joints were white nodes of some kind. It looked like they served a purpose, but the scanners couldn't discern what exactly that purpose was. The more Ozpin looked at the charts, the more mysteries piled up. He wasn't a Grimm, or a faunus, but Ozpin felt that he wasn't entirely human either.

 _Just where did this boy come from?_

Upon hearing the boy finally stir, Ozpin quickly closed the charts.

The boy's entire body was sore, but he managed to slowly sit up. "My head hurts." He groaned.

"That makes sense given your fall."

"I fell?" The boy looked to Ozpin. "Wait...who are you?"

"My name is Ozpin. I was the person that found you. Can you tell me your name?"

"Natsu." The boy answered. "Natsu Dragneel."

"Well, Natsu, are you hungry?"

Just as the boy answered his stomach started to growl. The headmaster smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

Ozpin watched in both interest and slight disgust as Natsu ravenously devoured the plates of food in front of him. Using what limited cooking skills he had, the Headmaster managed to make a few dishes for the boy to eat from what was left in the school's kitchen. The young boy started a new plate just as he finished an old one. He was like an industrial vacuum cleaner, inhaling all in his path.

"Heuy mifth der m i?"

"Please swallow before speaking." Ozpin advised.

Natsu finished chewing the meat in his mouth, swallowed, and repeated his question. "Where am I anyway?"

"Beacon Academy."

"Academy? Like a school?"

"That's right."

"So are you a teacher or something, old guy?"

"Headmaster, and I'm not that old."

Natsu titled his head. "Headmaster?"

"That means I'm in charge of the school."

"Whoa." Natsu gasped. He looked around the empty cafeteria. "Where is everyone? I thought school's were always full of people."

"It's summer vacation. Most of them have gone home until it's time to return."

"Oh." Natsu resumed eating.

Ozpin couldn't help but look at the boy with a bit of guilt. Even though his body was fine, his clothes were filthy and ripped. The only thing that seemed to survive the impact of his fall was the scarf around his neck and even it was dirtied a bit.

"Hey, mister?" Natsu asked - amazingly he had finished all of his food.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Just where in Earthland is this Beacon place?"

Ozpin was struck confused by the boy's question. "I'm sorry, my boy. Earthland?"

"Yeah. Earthland? The place where we live? I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I'm afraid you are mistaken, Natsu. There is no place like that here."

The boy's eyes widened. "What?! What happened to Earthland?! Did it blow up?!"

"Calm down. Calm down."

"If I'm not in Earthland then where am I?!"

"I'm not sure where this 'Earthland' is, but right now you're in the country of Vale."

Natsu shot the Headmaster a quizzical look. "Vale...?"

Ozpin nodded. He pressed a button on his watch and a hologram map of the world appeared on the table. He pointed to the center of the map. "This is where we are. Vale. These other countries are Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas." he pointed out the other countries to the boy. "Now, can you tell me where Earthland is located?"

Natsu looked over the map as closely as he could, after a few minutes he gave up. "...I don't know. None of that looks familiar at all."

Ozpin saw the distressed look in the boy's eyes and closed the map. He held out his hand. "Come. Let's get you some rest. We can try again tomorrow. Your home has to be somewhere in Remnant."

Natsu looked up to Ozpin, his eyes even wider than before.

"Rem...nant?"

* * *

 **New chapter! After a minor delay now we delve a bit into Natsu's life in Remant before he was left in the care of the Schnees. These chapters won't be too long, but they may be a tad longer than this one.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	36. A Pink-Haired Anomaly

There was a lot of things that Glynda Goodwitch expected to see when she reached the school grounds: papers stacked to the ceiling, rats hiding away in the cafeteria kitchen, dust accumulating in the empty classrooms, Grimm roaming near the cliffs of Emerald Forest, but the one thing she never thought she would ever see was standing in the middle of the school's courtyard.

He was still, his eyes wide with wonder as he looked at the statue towering over him. Glynda stood next to him, beaming with pride as she looked upon the statue with the boy.

"This statue is a symbol of mankind's ability to overcome. No matter what may lurk in the darkness, humanity will illuminate a path to the future. We are capable of such great things, but there is always danger wandering just beneath the surface. Are you by chance lost, little boy?"

"Yeah, but Mr. Ozpin I could stay here. I'm Natsu."

"Well it is nice to meet you, Natsu. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. How did you get here to Beacon? You couldn't have travelled alone. Where are your parents?"

The pinkette shrugged. "I don't know where my dad is. Mr. Ozpin brought me here."

"Where did you come from?"

Natsu pointed to the sky. Glynda was even more confused than before.

"I don't understand. Did Professor Ozpin bring you here by airship?"

The boy shook his head. "I don't know what that is, but he said found me in the forest after I fell out of a hole in the sky."

It took a moment for Glynda to respond. "You fell...from a hole in the sky?"

"There you are."

Professor Ozpin approaching the pair from the doors of the amphitheater. "You mustn't run off like that on your own, Natsu. It's easy to get lost in a place as big as this."

"Sorry." Natsu apologized. "I got bored and wanted to explore."

"Well then I'll be sure to give you a tour later on today." he turned to the blonde. "Good morning, Glynda. Did you just arrive?"

"Good morning, Professor Ozpin." she bowed her head upon answering. "Yes sir. I did."

"I see you have already met Natsu."

"Y-yes. I have. If I may ask, just where did this boy come from?"

"The sky."

Professor Ozpin's simple answer stunned Glynda. Though his playful smirk still made her skeptical.

"Told ya." the boy said with a superior grin.

"Come along, Natsu. It's time for your check-up." Ozpin started to walk away.

"Again?" the boy whined. "We just did one."

"And we will keep doing them until we are one hundred percent sure you are healthy."

Natsu huffed. "Fine, but this better be the last one." He took off towards Beacon Tower.

"Be careful not to fall!" Ozpin called.

"I won't!" Natsu shouted back.

"You're welcome to join us as well, Glynda. I'm sure you must have plenty of questions about the situation."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Glynda stared intently at Natsu's x-rays on the medical holo-screen in front of her. She had been doing so for the past ten minutes, but still had yet to find anything of interest.

"What exactly am I looking at, sir?" she asked.

"According to the charts, Natsu is a perfectly healthy boy." Ozpin replied.

"I can see that."

"Does that not strike you as odd?"

"Not particularly, though if the story you told me about him falling from the sky is true than yes it would classify as 'odd'."

"I assure you what I said was no lie. This boy did indeed fall from the sky. "

"But how? Even at cruising altitude a fall from an airship would cause a sever sprain at best. There is nothing out of place here."

"That's the thing. The boy didn't arrive by airship. Do you remember the storm a few days ago?"

"Yes." Glynda nodded. "It came just as quickly as it went. The meteorologists still can't make heads or tales of it."

"Just as the storm started there was a...distortion in the air. The clouds circled, creating a hole that crackled with a sort of strange energy that I had never felt before. Natsu fell from that distortion." Ozpin pulled up a camera feed from his office of the incident. Glynda was astonished at the sight.

"What does that mean? Just where did the boy come from?"

"I'm not sure. The boy says he comes from a place known as 'Earthland', but as far as I've researched no such place exists in all of Remnant."

"Could it be some sort of hidden village or underground community like Mountain Glenn?"

"It's possible, but I doubt such a place would exist without **someone** knowing about it."

"Yes. It is quite troubling if even **you** haven't heard of it." Glynda looked over Natsu's x-rays again and noticed something odd on the boy's joints. "What are these nodes?" she pointed out.

"I still have yet to figure that out myself. Based on the tests I've run they serve no real function."

"They appear attached to whatever these black veins are." Glynda traced her finger along one said vein that lead up Natsu's arm.

"Perhaps they increase his blood flow."

"Are we done yet?" Natsu groaned from the medical bed. "I'm getting hungry."

"Just a little longer." Ozpin said. "Have you been feeling anything…odd or out of the ordinary since your last check up?"

"You mean since the one we had this morning? No. Not really. I feel pretty normal since you gave me that candy."

"Candy?" Glynda repeated.

"He was having headaches so I gave him a children's medication." Ozpin said.

The pair continued examining Natsu's chart when they saw that the nodes as well as the black veins start to light up. They quickly turned to Natsu. To their increasing shock they saw the boy playing around with a fireball in his hand. Natsu quickly put out the small blaze and hid his hands behind his back.

"I didn't do it! I swear!"

* * *

"Hurry up, Ms. Glynda! I wanna eat here!"

"Ok! Ok! I'm coming! Just calm down." _I swear this boy will be the death of me._ At the behest of Professor Ozpin, Glynda was tasked with taking Natsu into the city to eat lunch while he conducted more tests. She sugeested that he simply eat something from the cafeteria, but Ozpin insisted that the boy at least explore the city some while he was there. Lest he wander on his own. Knowing what could happen if Natsu ended up in Forever Fall or the Emerald Forest by himself, Glynda reluctantly accepted her task.

She followed the eager boyinto a restaurant located downtown. Just across from the docks. Glynda herself had been here once or twice. Overall she found the establishment somewhat on the mediocre side, but Natsu seemed over the moon. They were greeted by the hostess upon entering the double doors.

"Welcome to Jewel of the Sea." she said "Will you be dining in today?"

"Yes." Glynda nodded.

The hostess grabbed a regular menu and a kids menu from the podium. "Would you to dine inside or outside?"

"Insi-"

"I want to go outside!" Natsu interjected.

Glynda sighed with a forced smile. "Outside it is then."

"Excellent. Follow me please."

Glynda and Natsu followed the hostess to the outside dining area. It was of modest size, but to Natsu it might as well have been as big as the city square. His eyes marveled at the parasols protecting the fine wooden dining tables from the shining sun. Each table was also covered with a pure white table cloth with little black anchors on the edges, adding to the restaurant's nautical theme.

Natsu practically hopped to his seat, a still disillusioned Glynda following after. Once seated the hostess gave them their menus.

"Here you are."

"Hey, lady!" Natsu piped up. "Do you cook all the food here yourself?"

"Natsu, that's rude." Glynda hissed. "Show some decorum."

"Some what?

The Hostess giggled. "It's quite alright, ma'am. No I don't. We have chefs in the kitchen that can make any food you want on the menu."

Natsu's eyes went wide. "Really?"

The hostess nodded.

"Whoa...what's a menu?"

"The folded paper I gave you." The hostess opened the menu. "See? You can have anything on the menu you want. Except for the alcohol of course. That's a drink for grown-ups."

Natsu stuck out his tongue. "That stuff tastes nasty anyway. Igneel let me try some."

The Hostess - as well as Glynda - was shocked at the boy's statement. "Igneel?"

"That's my dad."

"Your father let you try alcohol?"

Natsu nodded. The hostess gave an accusatory stare to Glynda.

"I am not the boy's mother." she responded.

"Well anyway...your waiter will be with you in a moment. Please enjoy your meal." The hostess bowed and took her leave.

Glynda took a brief glance over the menu. She wasn't really hungry, and she didn't have much of a taste for seafood. In the end she decided on a simple salad. She looked across the table to her young companion. His face was twisted in displeasure as he perused the menu.

"Something wrong?"

"I don't know any of this food. It doesn't sound very good. Is there any meat?"

"Well it is seafood. So I would say yes. There is."

"All of this is fish?" Natsu gasped.

Glynda nodded.

"Awesome! That's way easier! Why didn't they just say so instead of making this thing hard to read?" Natsu looked over the menu with a new purpose. While watching him, Glynda was struck curious.

"Have you never been to a restaurant before, Natsu?" she asked.

The boy briefly looked up from the menu. "Nope. Igneel never took me to one. We stayed in the forest a lot."

"I see." Glynda nodded. "You mentioned this 'Igneel' a little while ago. Just who is he? A relative of some sort?"

"He's my dad."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Nope, but I'm going to find him."

Before Glynda could ask another question, the waiter arrived.

"Can I start you two off with something to drink?"

"I'll have a water please." Glynda said. "Natsu? What would you like to drink?"

"Hmmm…" Natsu looked over the drinks for a few seconds. "This Bloody Mary thing sounds cool."

"I'm afraid you're a little too young to drink that, young man." The waiter said with a nervous laugh. "It has alcohol in it."

"Yuck. What about...a marga...righta?"

"That also-"

"He'll have a water as well." Glynda interjected.

"Ok. I'll have those right out for you." The waiter wrote down the drinks on his pad and walked back into the restaurant.

Natsu looked past the dining area railing to the large cruise ship anchored at the dock. Glynda noticed his curious stare.

"Do they not have ships in Earthland?"

"Yeah, but not that big. It must hold like a million people."

Glynda chuckled softly. "I think that is a bit more than the ship can hold, but it still brought a lot. I'd guess around three thousand."

"Wow." Natsu marveled with widened eyes. "Where did they all come from?"

"From all over Remnant. Vale is a popular tourist area during the summer."

"Vale." Natsu said to himself. "That's the name of the country we're in now right?"

"Correct." Glynda nodded. "It's also the name of this city."

"That's kinda weird."

Glynda giggled for a moment. "I never thought about it, but I suppose it is a bit odd to newcomers."

The waiter returned with their drinks and took their orders. Glynda had a salad, while Natsu settled on the biggest seafood platter the restaurant served. When he received his meal, the boy was disappointed by how little food there was - despite the platter being filled with bread, fries, and one of every fish the restaurant served; the plate was even almost half as big as the table itself. Nontheless he ate it. All of it. In less than five minutes.

Glynda was barely into her salad when Natsu finished scarfing down his food. Clearly wherever Earthland was they were lacking in manners. Once done eating Natsu let out a loud burp that even made people walking past the restaurant take notice.

"That hit the spot." He slid down into his chair while he rubbed his full stomach, a big smile on his messy face.

"Clearly." Glynda finished eating and cleaned the corners of her mouth with her napkin. She stood up from her seat and placed the lien for meal on the table – she even added a little extra tip for the waiter. "It's time to return to the academy."

"Ok." Natsu hopped from his seat.

"Wait."

"What?"

Glynda grabbed Natsu's mostly unused napkin and took a knee before the boy. "Hold still." She grabbed Natsu under his chin and started to clean his mouth free of food. The boy was absolutely filthy with bread crumbs, bits of vegetables, tartar sauce, and uneaten fish meat allover his mouth and part of his clothes.

Natsu fought to move his head away. "Stop it." He whined.

"I said hold still. I'm almost done. There" When she finished she placed the dirtied napkin back to the table with her telekinesis.

"How did you do that?" Natsu gasped in amazement.

"Telekinesis. I can move virtually any object with my mind."

"Can you teach me how to do that?!" Natsu's eyes were wide as the plate his food was on. He was practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Your Semblance is conjuring fire. So it would be not only pointless, but impossible for me to try and teach you. Though I am impressed. Most children don't discover their semblance until well into their middle school years."

Natsu tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Sem…blance?"

* * *

"I thought we were done doing tests."

"This is the last one. I promise." Ozpin smiled. He readied the display on his holo-tablet. It showed Natsu's vitals, as well as his x-rays. "I want you to show me and Professor Goodwitch your ability."

"My ability?"

"Yes. With the fire from earlier. Just do what you did then and we'll observe you."

"Umm…ok. I don't really get it, but I'll try."

"Good. Are you ready?"

Natsu nodded.

"Begin."

Natsu quickly ignited his hand. "Like this?"

"Yes. Perfect. Keep it up for as long as you can."

Ozpin and Glynda watched Natsu's vitals on their monitoring pad. His temperature was elevating to almost impossible levels, but the rest of his body reamained stable.

"Do you feel hot at all, Natsu?" Glynda asked.

"Nope. Is this gonna take much longer?" the boy yawned. "I'm getting sleepy."

"Just few more minutes." Ozpin said. Natsu groaned in displeasure.

"What are we looking for, sir?"

"This." Ozpin pointed to a black bar at the edge of his screen.

"I'm not sure I follow." Glynda said.

"This indicator is used to tell when an individual is using their semblance. That's what I thought his fire was at first, but as you can see the bar has yet to light up."

"So if this fire is not his semblance, then what is it?"

"I'm not sure yet. Natsu."

"Yeah?" The boy looked up from the grass.

"Is it possible for you to make that fire in your hands bigger?"

"I think so. How big do you want it?"

"As big as you can muster."

"Alright." Natsu took a deep breath and focused his energy. Slowly but surely the flame in his hand started to grow. Soon it was the size of his arm.

"Amazing." Glynda gasped. Ozpin continued looking at the pad. The Semblance indicator still hadn't changed, neither had the aura detector. Something was off. _How can he be displaying such an ability, but it not be tied to a semblance or an aura._ Ozpin noticed something when he looked to Natsu. His power, he had felt it somewhere else before, but he couldn't quite remember where.

When the blaze was the size of his upper body, Natsu could no longer hold it. The fire snuffed itself out and the boy fell to his back in the grass in a heap. Glynda rushed to his side.

"Natsu, Are you alright?"

The boy nodded. "I've never made one that big before." he smiled weakly. "I'm tired. Can I sleep now?"

Glynda returned his smile. "Yes. You may."

"Goodnight…" Natsu drifted off to sleep in the blonde's arms. Ozpin walked to her side. He looked to his chart, once again Natsu's vitals were normal. Even after all that power displayed, the indicators still hadn't changed.

"I think that's enough for today."

* * *

Ozpin entered the dorm room with a tray of food in hand. He saw Natsu sitting up in the bed, his eyes looking out to the moon. "Good. You're finally awake." Ozpin placed the tray on the night stand and pulled up a chair to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"My head still kind of hurts." Natsu replied. He took a bite out of the bread on the plate. "Where's Miss Glynda?"

"She went home for the evening."

"I thought this was where she lived."

Ozpin grinned. "No I'm afraid I'm the only one who lives here at the school."

"Doesn't it get lonely being in this huge place by yourself all the time?"

Ozpin thought for a moment. "I suppose you could think of it like that, but the truth is I like being alone from time to time."

"Oh." Natsu took another bite of the bread roll. He finally took a look around at the room he was in. It was much smaller than both the Headmaster's office and the infirmary. There was a desk near the door, as well as three other neatly made beds next to his. "Where am I anyway?"

"The school's dormitory. This is where we house the students that attend Beacon during the school year. If you're feeling up to it, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Natsu's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Is this another test?"

"No, I'm just indulging my curiosity. I want to know more about you and where you come from. It will help me find a way to get you home."

Natsu was still somewhat suspicions of the headmaster, but he relented. "Ok."

"Thank you. You said that you came from a place called Earthland, correct?" Natsu nodded. "What was it like? Was it similar to Vale in any way?"

Natsu thought for a moment. He tried his best to remember just what his home actually looked like. He never explored much outside the forests, but he did know that the village and towns he would visit were not as advanced as the one's he saw in Vale. When he told Ozpin this the man simply nodded in understanding.

"Glynda told me that you mentioned your father while out eating today. Can you describe him to me? How is he? What doe he looks like?"

Natsu seemed to light up at the topic of his father. "Igneel? He's very big. Like bigger than this whole building. He has red scales all over, and wings, and a super long tail! He also has really sharp teeth and huge horns on his head. Oh yeah, and he has scars! There's one on his eye, and his cheek and this giant one on his stomach too!"

Ozpin tried his best to process what the boy was saying. He expected a man similar to him in appearance, but instead what Natsu described was some sort of monster. Possibly a faunus, but even that seemed like a bit of stretch that a faunus with those sort of characteristics. Even so he had to ask.

"Is your father some sort of faunus by chance?"

"I don't know what that is, but no. Igneel is a dragon."

Ozpin was aghast. "A...dragon?"

Natsu nodded. "Yep!"

"…Interesting." Was all Ozpin could say. He had no idea how to proceed. By all accounts Natsu appeared to be telling the truth, but at the same time his story could only be viewed as fantasy. Dragons simply did not exist. They were creatures only relegated to storybooks and children's tales. Well...that wasn't entirely accurate. Ozpin knew of one "dragon", but there was no way that was the one the young boy was referring to.

"Did your…father have the same Semblance as you?"

"Miss Glynda asked me the same thing. What's a semblance?"

"A semblance is a ability unique to whichever individual exhibits it." the Headmaster explained. "Think of it as a sort of…super power that allows it's user to do extraordinary things others can't. I believe you saw Glynda's telekinesis today? That is her semblance."

"Kind of sounds like magic." Natsu reasoned.

"I suppose you could classify it as such, though it's more scientific than mystical in nature. Is that what you call your semblance?"

"No. I really do use magic." Natsu ignited his hand. "Igneel taught me Fire Dragon Slayer magic."

"Fire Dragon Slayer...magic?" Ozpin repeated. Natsu nodded.

"I see. Can everyone in Earthland use 'magic' as well?"

"Not everyone. Some people can, but a lot of people can't."

"You say Igneel was a dragon. Why would he teach you magic specifically made to kill him and his kind?"

Natsu snuffed out the flame. "I don't know." He shrugged. "Maybe because there are bad dragons out there too along with the good ones."

"Was Igneel a 'good' dragon?"

"He was the best dragon ever!" Natsu chirped. "He taught me how to read and write and all kinds of other stuff!" Slowly his enthusiasm started to fade. "I wish I could see him again."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know. One day I woke up and he was just...gone. I've been looking for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere." He sniffed and tears started to pool in his eyes. "Now I'm stuck in some weird place and don't know how to get home. I'll never see Igneel again."

Ozpin gently placed his hand on the boy's head to stopp his sniffing. "Don't worry. I will do everything in my power to see that you return to your home."

"Really?" Natsu wiped away his tears.

"You have my word." Ozpin smiled. "I will return you home, and then you will be able to see your father again." He stood up. "You should get some rest. You've had a long day."

"Ok." Natsu laid down and Ozpin tucked him in. "Goodnight, Mr. Ozpin."

"Goodnight, Natsu."

Ozpin slowly closed the door behind him when he exited the room. He pulled out his tablet and looked Natsu's medical files again. After talking to him everything started falling in his place. There was no doubt in his mind that this boy had indeed come from a place not of Remnant. He possessed neither and Aura nor a Semblance. Normally such a thing was impossible. No matter how weak an individual was, they all possessed an Aura of some kind. But this boy was anything but normal. He came from a completely different world.

Just then, Ozpin realized just where he felt Natsu's power. It was similar to the Maidens' powers. His eyes went wide in shock, his arms starting to tremble as the medical screen flashed on the tablet.

"This boy...what is he?"

* * *

 **NEW CHAPTER! In honor of the Vol. 4 debuting. i thought it would be good to post a new chapter. Going a bit deeper into Natsu's origins in Remnant. In case ya'll haven't noticed these chapters will be a tad shorter than the others. Mostly because i don't want to spend too much time on this arc, and I think just giving more of the broad strokes is a bit better than the minute details. I could always be wrong though.**

 **As for V. 4 I'm not going to spoil anything, but I did like the premiere. I'm really digging the new animation style. It's much more fluid and polished than previous volumes. Hopefully it stays that way throughout. I've also got a few things planned for when I get that far.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	37. Salem

"Let's go again!"

"In a moment. I need to rest."

Natsu strolled into the cave he and Igneel called home, a bright smile on his puny face. The two had just finished their morning soar around the skies. Natsu loved flying around with Igneel. The fire dragon would explain to the eager boy all of the things that resided both above and below them: villages, lakes, forest creatures, and even people. They were all so small from that high up. Sometimes he would even tell Natsu stories of other dragons he had met during his long life.

Natsu had never seen any other dragons before. The only one he ever knew was Igneel.

"Hey, Igneel?"

"Yes?" The dragon faced his son, his massive eye almost as large as the curious child was tall. "What is it?"

"Are there any dragons still around?"

Igneel thought on this question for a moment. "There are some, but they are so spread out across the continent that it's unlikely that we'll encounter them any time soon."

"You don't know where they are?"

"I do, but we dragons are not really as chummy as you humans tend to be. We will work together when it suits are needs and we certainly have pride as a race, but in our core we are solitary creatures that prefer our privacy."

"Privacy? What's that mean?"

"It means we like to be alone."

"Do you like to be alone?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." Igneel saw Natsu frown at his answer. "But now that I'm stuck with a brat like you, I couldn't be alone even if I wanted to."

Natsu's spirits lifted when he saw Igneel's grin. "Nope!" he hopped up and hugged the dragon's snout. "I love you, Igneel."

"I feel the same, Natsu. Are you ready to go back out?"

"I thought you were tired."

"I think I have one more flight in me for the day. What do you say?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Natsu hopped onto Igneel's neck.

"All set?" Igneel asked.

"Yep!" Natsu grabbed onto Igneel's scales as tightly as he could.

"Then we're off! Hang on!" Igneel rocketed forth from the cave. The trees swayed and bent from the fierce winds, and the animals below all looked up as the dragon majestically soared through the air.

 _Natsu…_

The boy heard a faint voice calling out to him. It got louder as he and Igneel drew closer to the sun. Then everything went white.

* * *

"Natsu!"

The loud slap of a riding crop on his desk quickly awoke Natsu from his slumber. His eyes adjusting to the bright lights of the classroom, the boy soon found himself face to face with a very irritated Glynda Goodwitch.

"I know history is not the most riveting subject in the world, but please try your best to stay awake. We're almost finished."

Natsu groaned and sat up in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Here." Glynda handed the boy a napkin from a box on the front desk. "Clean your mouth."

"Thank you." Natsu lethargically wiped the trail of drool from the side of his mouth, yawning in the process.

"How about this..."Glynda started "If you get over fifty percent of the questions correct on the quiz at the end of class, I'll take you into town for lunch."

Natsu's eyes lit up. All of his exhuastion immediately evaporated at the mention of food. "Really?!"

Glynda nodded. "Yes, but remember; over fifty percent. Can you do that for me?"

The boy accepted his teacher's challenge with a wide smile. "Yeah! Wait…what's 'fifty percent'?"

"...Half." She answered after a rough sigh.

"O~h." Natsu's smile returned. "Yeah I can do that!"

"Good. Now be sure to pay attention."

"Right!"

Glynda returned to writing on the chalkboard. When she looked over her shoulder, she noticed Natsu already starting to doze off. She let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. _Perhaps it's best I just move on to math._

* * *

In his office, Professor Ozpin was once again looking over the energy readings for the night Natsu arrived at his doorstep. They were off the charts. Easily some of the highest recordings of combined he had seen in all of Remnant. A mix of dust, aura, and some unknown substance he had yet to identify. It was the same energy that resided within Natsu. Wherever "Earthland" was it must of had people exuding the same energy.

Two months had passed, and the tired Professor had made no progress on returning Natsu to his rightful home. All of his tests had proved fruitless, and time was on longer on his side. The energies that brought Natsu to Remnant were growing fainter and fainter by the day. Soon they would disappear, and Natsu would be stuck in Remnant forever.

"There has got to be a way to reopen the dimensional rift, but even if I could do that where would it lead to? There is no guarantee that it would return the boy to where he needs to be."

As Ozpin pondered these questions, Glynda entered his office.

"Excuse my intrusion, sir."

"No need for formalities, Glynda. You're always welcome."

"Thank you, sir." She approached his desk.

"How are Natsu's studies coming along? I know teaching a child so young was not what you signed up for when you accepted this position." When a weary sigh exited the bespectacled blonde's lip, Ozpin grinned. "That bad?"

"It's a process, but I wouldn't have become an instructor if things were always easy. Natsu catches on quickly enough and can be rather attentive when he wants, but his main problem is keeping focus. Three times I caught him sleeping, another two he was picking his nose, and don't get me started on when he-"

Ozpin's chuckled. "My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt, but I can't say I blame him for being less than focused. He is much younger than the students we normally deal with. Not to mention how foreign this entire world is to him."

"Regardless, we've just finished with class now and I'm taking him into the city for lunch. I just thought you should know."

"Good idea." Ozpin nodded. "Perhaps some exploring outside of a classroom will help you both."

Glynda glanced at the holo-screens hovering over the Headmaster's desk. "Have you gotten any closer to finding a way to return him home?"

Ozpin took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No. I haven't. There is still residual energy in Emerald Forest from where he landed, but I have no idea how to harness it. Which would not be so bad if I had more time."

"What do you mean 'more time'?"

"It's slow, but the energies that brought Natsu here are starting to fade away. Based on my calculations, I'd say we have less than a week before they are gone for good."

"You mean if you can't find a way to open a hole then…"

"Yes. Natsu will be stuck here with no way back."

Glynda was slightly saddened by the news. Surely there were people from this "Earthland" that missed the boy dearly. "What are we going to do?"

"What we have been doing. I'll continue researching a way to open the hole, and you will continue to teach him…it might be the best course of action if I should fail."

"I'm sure you will find a way, sir." Glynda assured. The Headmaster smiled.

"I appreciate your confidence in me, Glynda. Now isn't about time you and Natsu take your leave? The boy must be positively restless waiting on you."

Glynda's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my goodness! You're right! There is no telling what manner of trouble he could get into unsupervised." She quickly made her way to the elevator. "We'll return soon."

"Take your time."

The elevator doors closed and gone was Glynda Goodwitch, leaving Ozpin alone with his charts once more.

* * *

Natsu circled the two-person airship on the dock, a hint of suspicion in his eye. Every time he'd board this strange flying machine, he felt a pain in his stomach, followed closely by a powerful urge to puke. Igneel took him flying all the time, and while he felt dizzy from the altitude sometimes he never felt like throwing up, and his stomach never hurt. According to Glynda, he suffered from something called "motion sickness", Natsu preferred to call it an enemy attack.

"I'm watching you. You're not gonna get the jump on me this time." As the boy searched in and around the vehicle for some sort of weakness he could exploit, he heard a faint voice in his ear.

 _Come…_

The boy moved from out of the undercarriage of the airship and looked around the dock for the source of the voice, but he didn't see anyone.

"Hello? Ms. Glynda?"

 _Come to me…_

Natsu was starting to get anxious. No matter how hard he looked he didn't see anyone around. Just then he saw Glynda approach the dock. Without hesitation he ran to her.

"Were you messing with the airship again?" she sighed. "I told you before that it is not out to get you. You'll grow out of your motion sickness when you get older."

"You were calling me earlier right? You told me to come to you."

Glynda was taken aback by Natsu's sudden accusation. "I'm not sure what you think you heard, but I didn't call out to you. You must have been hearing things. Probably because your so hungry."

Natsu pensively looked to the ground, his hand on his chin. "I know I heard something."

Glynda pressed her hand to Natsu's back, urging him back to the dock. "You can dwell on it later. We don't have long to be in the city. You still have afternoon classes."

Natsu groaned. "I hate afternoon classes!"

* * *

When the night fell, all the rooms on the first floor of Beacon Academy's Student Dormitory were empty save one at the end of the hall to the right. This was the room that belonged to a one Natsu Dragneel. The young boy's loud snoring echoed through his room, through the door, and into the hallway. His little body draped over the side of a bed that was much too big for him, but somehow his slumber remained unencumbered. His happy dreams filled with both meat and dragons, he was abruptly awoken by a voice.

 _Natsu…_

It was the same one from earlier in the day. The voice he thought belonged to Glynda. Natsu slowly opened his eyes and rolled over to the floor with a yawn. "Who's there…?" he muttered.

 _An observer…perhaps a friend..._

The boy was wary of the new voice in his head. He was always told to not talk to strangers.

"Where are you?"

 _Follow the sound of my voice, and you will know the truth._

Natsu couldn't help the feeling of uneasiness welling up within the pit of his stomach. An unfamiliar voice in his head that he had never heard before was calling out to him as if it somehow knew him. It would scary enough for an adult to process, let alone a child like him.

 _There is no need to be frightened. I will not hurt you. I promise._

Even with these fears, something in the voice felt warm, calming even. The more he heard it the more his fears started to evaporate. Without having realized it, Natsu was already outside of his room. Somehow he had opened the door and moved into the hallway.

 _This way._

The voice gently guided the curious boy out of the dormitory and into the school's main courtyard. He stood in front of the statue on the main avenue, awaiting the voice's next instruction.

"Where do I go now?"

 _Follow the light._

"What light?"

Just then a small pale light appeared in front of Natsu's face. He tried to grab it, but his hand slipped right through as if it wasn't there at all. He didn't even feel any heat radiating from the ball. The light started to float down the avenue, and just as the voice instructed Natsu followed after. Eventually the small light led the boy to stone stairway leading into a tunnel. Natsu abruptly stopped upon reaching the top of the stairs.

 _Why do you stop?_

"Mr. Ozpin told me not to go into the forest by myself. He said that the monsters could attack and eat me."

 _You have my word that no harm will befall you._ A _s long as you allow me to guide you, you will be safe with me._

Hesitantly Natsu took the first step and descended the stairs behind the light as quickly as he could. When he emerged from the opening at the bottom of the cliff face and into Emerald Forest proper, Natsu couldn't help the hairs that stood on the back of his neck. During class Glynda had taught him all about the creatures of Grimm. She told him of how how they roam through the Emerald Forest all throughout the day and the night, how they ate whatever was in front of them; man and beast alike, and how they were so vast in number that they might even outnumber the human population.

It was scary to think about encountering a creature like that in the middle of the night. He didn't know if his magic would be enough to stop one of the stronger ones.

Natsu was guided the now slow moving light through the dark forest. So far the voice's words proved to be true, no Grimm had emerged from the trees or bushes to attack him. Due to the covering of the forest canopy, Natsu was nearly blinded by the cloudless moonlight when the light brought him to a clearing. A set of ruins came into view and Natsu immediately recognized where he was. This was the spot he landed, the place Ozpin had found him the night he arrived.

 _I've waited a long time for you, Natsu._

"What am I doing here? Who are you anyway?"

The light that guided the boy to the ruins slowly grew in size. It was getting so bright that Natsu had to cover his eyes. When the light finally faded, a woman appeared in its place.

Her skin was as white as bone. In fact it may have been even whiter than that. Her hair - the same shade as her skin - was tied in a bun resembling a halo, with three tufts of hair shooting out each side for a total of six. In the middle of her forehead looked to be a diamond as black as the sky above. Her eyes and the long robe that she wore were same color black, but her irises were blood red - similar to a Grimm's - that glowed slightly when she focused on the boy. The last thing that Natsu noticed were the dark-purple and red veins that trailed up from the woman's slender arms, to the sides of her face.

"Are you afraid of me?" Despite her alarming appearance her voice was warm, almost motherly.

Natsu shook his head. He was captivated by the woman. She was unlike anything he had ever seen before on Remnant of Earthland. A small part of him wanted to run away, but that fear was overshadowed by his awe. "You're the person that was talking to me?" Natsu already knew the answer, but he felt the need to ask anyway.

The woman simply nodded in response.

"Why?"

"I wanted to meet you. It took you so long to hear my voice. I had all but given up hope."

Natsu remained still as the white woman approached him. It was clear from the movement at the bottom of her robe that she was walking, but her steps were so graceful and light that she may as well have been gliding along the grass. She bent down to his level, her eyes smiling at him. Natsu couldn't speak when she was this close, it was like his breath had been stolen away.

"Such a beautiful boy. " She gently placed her hand on Natsu's cheek. Her touch was cold, but not uncomfortably so. It was a soothing sort of cool. The kind that would make one fall asleep. When the woman slightly tightened her hold on him, Natsu sharply inhaled. His body stiffened stright as veins similar to the one on the woman spread across his face. "You will be capable of great things one day, but that time has not yet come."

The veins entered into Natsu's eyes, briefly turning his sclera pitch black. Natsu fell to his knees unconscious in the grass. The woman caught him just before he fell to the grass, placing him gently inside the altar ruins.

"I look forward to seeing the limits of your strength."

A wave of green energy exploded from out of the trees and towards the ruins. The woman stood still as the wave effortlessly passed through her, slicing through the stone pillars she was in front of. She looked to the trees, an angered Ozpin emerged from them.

"How are you here, Salem!?" he demanded. "The school and its surrounding area have been warded against you!"

"You should know by now, Ozpin that there is nothing on this planet that can be hid from me." Salem looked down to Natsu. "That includes this boy."

"What do you want with him?"

"Nothing for now, but one day soon he will belong to me. Goodbye, Ozpin."

"No! Salem!"

Salem's visage faded from sight. Upon confirming that she was truly gone, Professor Ozpin lifted Natsu from the ruins. Thankfully Salem had only put him to sleep. he was only sleeping.

 _If she has an interest in him, then he will never be safe._

* * *

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying." The normally composed Glynda Goodwitch stood confused before Professor Ozpin's desk. The news had been sprung on her so suddenly when she arrived at the school that day, that she was nearly floored by it.

"It's as I said. We can no longer keep Natsu here." His chair was facing away from her, his eyes looking out to the afternoon sun.

"Yes you've said that already, but I'm still having trouble understanding **why**. Surely you can't be serious."

"I am. Classes will resume in a few weeks. I trust I don't have to explain to you what would happen if a five year old boy was found wandering the halls."

"He's six actually." Glynda corrected.

"Regardless, it would be much safer if he was moved off campus."

Glynda took note of Ozpin's use of the word "safer". As far as she could tell Beacon Academy was one of the safest places in all of Vale - possibly Remnant. Where else could possibly be safer? Why would Natsu even have to be safe? Her curiosity proved too much to bear.

"Sir…is there something you're not telling me?" Normally Glynda never questioned the Headmaster, but he had been acting odd for the past week or so. "Did something happen to Natsu?"

Ozpin remained silent, looking down in his reflection in the coffee he was drinking.

"Professor Ozpin." Glynda's voice hardened, but not enough to overstep her bounds. Ozpin sighed and turned his chair to face her. Placing his mug on the glass desk between them, he looked to Glynda from where he sat.

"She knows that he is here."

"She?" Glynda was confused by the pronoun. "Who is…" she trailed off, her eyes widening when the mystery pieces fell into place. "How? The school grounds are protected! There is no way she could have-"

"She did." Ozpin interrupted. "Somehow Salem bypassed our defenses just enough to lure Natsu into Emerald Forest. I've taken action to reinforce them personally. This won't happen again."

"If she was able to make into the Emerald Forest, then why not come to the school directly?" Glynda asked.

"The defenses at the school grounds proper are much stronger than those in the forest, that is how lower born Grimm are able to live there, but never come here. The wards only deter stronger Grimm. She must have found a way to manipulate them in a way to allow herself temporary entry."

"I still don't understand. What did she want with Natsu?"

"Of that I'm not sure. Perhaps she saw the same distortion that brought Natsu here and thought she could use whatever came out of it."

Glynda's face twisted with worry. Though she had never seen the woman known only as Salem, she had heard stories of her exploits from Ozpin. She was a woman of both great power and terrifying ambition. According to Ozpin, her goal was no less than the complete eradication of the human race.

"If Salem has an interest in Natsu, then it is no longer safe to keep him here. He must be hidden from her and protected, until he can properly use his natural abilities."

"His abilities?" Glynda questioned. "You want him to fight? But he's just a boy!"

"Unfortunately he no longer has a choice." Ozpin lamented. "With Salem aware of him and his power, his life will never be a normal one."

"Can't you just send him back to where he came from?" Glynda suggested. "If she can't find him, then she won't be able to do anything. Right?"

Ozpin fell silent again. Though this one was briefer than the first. "I can't."

"…What do you mean you 'can't'?"

"The energies that brought Natsu here...they dissipated the night Salem appeared."

Glynda's eyes widened. "No." she gasped.

Ozpin nodded solemnly. "Natsu will never be able to return to his home. He is stuck here. You now see why I had to make the choice I did."

"Yes sir." Glynda bowed her head in apology. "I do. Forgive my doubting you."

"You're not at fault, Glynda." Ozpin reassured. "I wouldn't imagine anyone being comfortable with letting a boy his age out and alone in a world such as this one."

Glynda raised her head, her eyes showing a flash of resolve. "Natsu can live with me." She voluntereed. "I can train him, as well as continue his studies on Remnant and its history until he is ready."

Ozpin grinned for the first time that day. "I weren't aware you had become so attached to him in such a short time. Could it be motherly instincts surfacing?"

The blonde professor's cheeks flushed red "N-no!" she quickly denied. "It's nothing of the sort! It's just that it would be much easier since I'm already tutoring him."

Ozpin's grin faded to a neutral expression. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Glynda, but that does not solve our problem. Salem will still be after him."

"I will deal with her if necessary."

"I don't think you can." Ozpin sternly refused. "If you think you can fight her and expect to survive, then you grossly underestimate her power…as well as overestimate your own."

"Is she really that strong?"

"She is, and much more. I will not put either of you in that position."

"…Then what do you plan to do?"

Ozpin rose from his chair, grabbed his mug, and walked towards the window. He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes catching a raven that swooped past the window.

* * *

Natsu sat on the edge of the dock, eating the sandwich Glynda had made for him as the sun set behind the city of Vale. The view of the city from the school was breathtaking. Every time Natsu saw it he felt like it would suck him in, but today was different. Something else had his attention besides food and sun sets.

For the past few days he had been having the same dream. A light had led him through the forest to a woman with pure white skin. She would smile at him, speak a few words that he couldn't quite make out, and reach for him. Just as her fingers grazed his cheek, he would wake up. The more it happened, the more Natsu felt that this was more a memory than a dream.

"All this thinking hurts my head."

As he contemplated just what this all meant, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Thinking it was either Glynda or Ozpin, Natsu turned to face them. He saw a woman, but she was clearly not Glynda.

This woman had long black hair that flowed down her back, the necklaces hanging from her neck slightly rattling in the low wind. Her black heels carefully clacked on the stone of the dock, each step with its own purpose. A red girdle was tied around her black dress, making the red and black gauntlets on her arms stand out even more. A group of black feathers dangled on one side of her hip while a sheathed sword hung loosely on the other.

When she finally reached him, the last features Natsu took note of were the woman's piercing red eyes, the only things visible from behind her pure white Grimm mask.

* * *

 **New Chapter! The origin continues! Ever since I mentioned way back that Raven raised Natsu for a bit, I've been thinking of way to fit her in here. I think I accomplished it well enough with this chapter.**

 **A lot of you guys have been asking me about what I'm going to do about the recent revelations in the newest episode (Vol. 4 Episode 2 as of this writing in case anyone reads this after) and don't worry I already have a plan for it. I thought I may have had to edit a chapter or two, but I ultimately decided against it. I wrote this story the way I did and it would feel a bit cheap to me if I rewrote things based on canon knowledge I didn't have at the time. I don't write to line up with canon, otherwise I would just watch that. I feel confident enough in my ability to write that I can keep the story moving forward in a positive way despite the reveals.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	38. Raven

The woman had yet to say a word since they left Beacon. That was almost three days ago. The ground was still damp from the rain the previous day; so much so that Natsu had to wear the boots that Glynda had given to him – just one of many items the blonde professor had thrust upon him before leaving. With each squish in the mud he remembered the bespectacled teacher's face when he left. She seemed sad.

Natsu didn't expect that, but he kind of felt the same way. It just seemed so sudden. One minute he was living at Beacon, the next he was paired with this scary, silent, masked woman. He wondered if he had done something wrong and this was his punishment.

As the sun set further in the distance, the pair reached a valley at the edge of the tree line. Tucked away at the bottom of the green valley was a small village.

"Are we going down there?" Natsu asked his new guardian.

Without a word the woman started down the hill.

"Hey, wait!"

Natsu took a step and slipped on the wet grass. He rolled down the surprisingly steep hill like a pink boulder, his screams echoing in the air. Just before he hit bottom, the woman snatched him up by his scarf.

"Thank…you." Natsu fought back the bile rising in his mouth. The woman placed him on his feet and continued onward.

The village was a peaceful one from all outward appearances. Nowhere near as big as the city of Vale of course, but just large enough for the main pathways to not be crowded with people. In fact there weren't that many people outside at all. Possibly because of the rain.

Natsu saw pair of farmers in front of them were leading a group of sheep by rope leash through the streets. He also saw chickens, cows, and hogs in pens that dotted the village pathway. He had no idea why all these animals were here, but the growling of his stomach told him where they should be.

After a minute or so the duo stopped in front of a two-story wooden building near the edge of town. The sun had set now, causing the dust lamps on the front door of the building to dimly light up. The sign over the door simply read "INN".

"Are we staying here tonight?" There was a hopeful tone in Natsu's voice. For the past two days he and his silent companion had been sleeping on the ground and in trees. Natsu didn't mind the wilderness all that much, but a nice warm bed and a hot meal – especially a hot meal - was always appreciated.

The woman once again provided no answer, but she did remove her mask before entering the inn. Now that Natsu thought about it, this was the first time she had done so since they'd been together. Because of how dark it was outside he couldn't see her face all that clearly. Did she have a scar? Was she missing an eye? Did she even have a nose? These were just some of the questions that the boy occupied himself with for the past few days.

The modest Inn's foyer was a cozy area with wooden furniture that was indeed old, but also very well maintained. Natsu heard a familiar crackling and turned his head, sure enough he saw a small hearth facing the furniture. The crackling flames made his mouth water.

An elderly woman greeted the pair with a smile. "Good evening. How long will you be staying with us?"

"We only require a room for the night." The formerly silent woman replied.

The hostess looked down over the counter to Natsu. "Are you and your son travelling far?"

"…Yes."

"It's always nice to travel with family, isn't it? Alright then, one night's stay. That'll be one-hundred lien."

The woman reached inside her kimono and placed the lien notes on the counter and the hostess accepted them.

"We'll bring breakfast bright and early at seven am."

"That won't be necessary. We'll be gone by dawn."

"Oh. Well how about dinner then? I imagine the boy must be quite hungry travelling from wherever you came from."

The dark-haired woman looked to Natsu. His eyes were still fixated on the dancing fire. He looked like a tiger ready to pounce at any moment.

"That will be fine." She told the elderly hostess. She sounded a tad reluctant at the idea.

The elderly woman smiled again. "I'll have it ready for you in a jiffy." She handed the black-haired woman her room key. "You'll be in room 204. It's on the second floor. Last door on the left."

"Thank you." The woman walked to the stairs leading up to the second floor. "Natsu, come."

The boy whipped around at the sound of his name and followed his guardian upstairs – slurping the flames from the fireplace in his cheeks as if they were noodles.

"Coming!" he muffled.

The hostess was left speechless at the display. "Are they some sort of circus performers?"

* * *

Ozpin stared out of his office window as he so often did at the end of the day. The sun was setting behind the city of Vale, the sky and the ocean both bathed in a vibrant mix of yellow, orange, and red. As he sipped his afternoon coffee, the elevator chimed and the doors slid open to reveal a visitor.

In walked a swordswoman with wild black hair that flowed down her back and a mask similar to that of a Grimm covering her face. Ozpin saw her reflection in the window as she approached his desk. He turned to face her.

"I see you're still wearing that mask." He said with a small grin. The woman gave no reply, but Ozpin continued.

"Tell me, how is Taiyang? I heard that he wants to start teaching. I can't say I'm all that surprised. He was always the more levelheaded out of the four of you, despite his more…outlandish escapades. Qrow is…well Qrow." The Headmaster's smile grew somber. "And Summer-"

"Why have you called me here, Professor Ozpin?"

Noticing the slight irritation in the woman's voice, Ozpin placed his half-full mug on the desk and sat in his chair. "My apologies. Right to business then. I take it you met the boy?"

The woman nodded.

Ozpin waited for her to say something, but she remained tight-lipped. "Are you curious as to why I have a random child staying at the school?"

"That is none of my business. I only wish to know why you've sought me out."

"Of course. Let me get to it then." Ozpin interlocked his fingers, his eyes slightly narrowing. "The boy, Natsu, I want you to train him."

The woman was slightly confused by this. "Why? You must have others that can do the job much better that I."

"If I did they would be here." Ozpin retorted. "You are the only one I can ask to do this, Raven."

The black-haired woman stared into the Headmaster's eyes. He looked to be almost desperate. She had never seem him in such a state.

"Will I be training him here at Beacon? That will be difficult. If I'm not mistaken classes will be resuming soon."

"No. I want you to take him away from here."

"Where?"

"Anywhere. Wherever you go, he will. Let him see all the world has to offer, both good and bad. Be his teacher."

Raven thought on this. She wasn't looking for a travelling companion, much less a student. She much preferred to be alone. In fact the rules of the tribe practically ordered she travel the world alone in her preparations to lead them, but Ozpin's sudden offer had provided an opportunity. Perhaps the boy could be of use to her and her people.

"If you choose not to accept the assignment I understand." Ozpin said. "I suppose it would be unfair of me to ask this of you all things considered-"

"I will train the boy."

"You will?" Ozpin was a little surprised at this. Raven nodded. "Very well then. Thank you, Raven. We can begin in a week."

"Understood."

Ozpin couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips. "Diligent as always. Glad to see that hasn't changed."

"I will be taking my leave now." Raven bowed her head to her former Headmaster and started for the elevator.

"Raven."

She stopped a few inches short of the opening elevator doors, prompting Ozpin to speak one last time.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Summer."

Raven stepped inside the elevator without uttering a word and the doors closed. The chime sounded and the elevator car descended the shaft.

* * *

"You don't have to use the bathroom again?"

"No."

"Are you absolutely sure? Because that is what you said two minutes ago."

"I'm sure."

"Alright then." Glynda tucked Natsu into his bed. "Good night, Natsu."

"Good night."

Glynda began to make her exit, but just as she opened the door to the hallway…

"Ms. Glynda."

The blonde exhaled roughly. "You said you didn't have to use the bathroom."

"I don't. I have a question."

"Can it wait until tomorrow? You need your rest."

"No. It can't."

Glynda sighed again, closed the door, and walked back to the bed. "Fine, but after this you will go straight to bed. Am I clear?" Natsu nodded and Glynda sat at his side. "Good. Now what's your question?"

"Who was that lady I saw today?"

Honestly Glynda didn't know why she was surprised by Natsu's question. She had collected him for the remainder of his afternoon classes as soon as she spotted him on the docks. Though she saw Raven standing next to him she made no effort to speak to her – even if the two briefly made eye contact with one another. She simply grabbed the boy and left.

"That woman…is Raven Branwen. She is a former Beacon Student."

"Why was she here?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that myself." Glynda muttered, but if she had to guess, Raven was the person that Ozpin was referring to earlier.

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"She was wearing a weird mask. It sort of looked like a Grimm. Does she have a scar or something?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then why does she wear it?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. She was such a beautiful girl when she attended classes here. A little rough around the edges, but that's normal during the teenage years. My guess is she changed after-" Glynda stopped herself before mentioning the name Summer Rose. Even if Natsu had no idea who Summer was, it wasn't her place to tell.

"Changed after what?"

"It's not important." she replied quickly. "Time for bed."

"But, Ms. Glynda~."

"No buts, young man. You said you had one more question and I answered it for you. Now go to bed. Class starts bright and early in the morning."

"Fine." He turned over, his face twisted in a scowl as Glynda exited the room.

"Good night, Natsu."

"Night." He grumbled.

Glynda slowly closed the door, and started down the hall of the empty dormitory. She thought back to Natsu's question about Raven's mask; recalling her own conversation with Professor Ozpin on the matter not too long ago. His words were just as clear now as they were then:

 _"There are some scars that run far deeper than flesh."_

* * *

Natsu tossed and turned in his bed. He simply couldn't hold it in anymore. He rose up as if he were exiting the grave. "I have to go to the bathroom." He mumbled. He turned to the side of the bed, his legs dangling over the side, and looked to Raven.

She was resting in the armchair closest to the door with her head down, a stern look on her face, and her arms crossed. Her mask was lying against the lamp on the nightstand.

 _She's even scary when she sleeps._ Natsu thought. Fearing the consequences of waking her, the young boy slowly got out of bed and tip-toed towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

Natsu practically jumped out of his skin in fright at the sound of the voice. Raven was glaring at him, her blood red eyes visible even in the darkness of the room.

"I-I need to use the bathroom." Natsu's legs quivered. He counted himself lucky that he didn't wet himself when Raven called out to him.

Raven noticed this. "…Do you know where it is?" Natsu shook his head. The swordswoman sighed and grabbed her sword. "I'll escort you, but don't take long. We'll be leaving at dawn."

"Ok."

The two journeyed to the inn lobby. To the left of the welcome desk was the restroom. Because of the relatively small size of the inn, there were only two restrooms – one for men and one for women. Raven briefly thought about how cumbersome this would be if more tenants were lodging at the inn, but because of the seclusion of the village she surmised that not many people stayed at a given time anyway.

Natsu entered the restroom and Raven stood by the door. Curiously enough, her mind began wandering. She thought of a smiling baby with a puff of blonde hair on their head.

"Ms. Raven?" she heard Natsu call through the door and came back to the present.

"What is it?"

"Why do you wear that mask all the time? You don't have any scars or nothin. Is it because you don't smile?"

Raven was silent for a moment.

"Ms. Raven?"

"Hurry up and finish."

"…Ok."

After a minute or so Natsu came out of the bathroom. Raven saw the look of disappointment on his face, but she didn't proceeded up back to the room. Once there Natsu gave Raven a half-hearted good night – that went unanswered - and laid back in bed. Raven sat back in the armchair. She reached for her mask and looked at it. She knew exactly why she wore it. It was a reflection of the world around her. Dangerous, ominous, but above all…cold. Wearing the face of a monster made you one, and by the purest definition Raven saw herself as just that: a monster.

However, she was fine with that distinction. The tribe had given her this mask, and she was glad to have it. was all. She would do anything to ensure that she lived up to their expectations. So why did this boy's question strike her so?

Raven put down her mask and walked to Natsu's bedside. He was fast asleep. As she watched him, she thought of that baby again.

"Yang." The name came out so suddenly that she barely realized she had said it.

How long had it been since Raven had seen her own daughter? If she had to guess, Yang would be around Natsu's age right now. Rose's daughter wouldn't be too far behind. Slowly Raven reached for Natsu, but when he turned over to face her she quickly retracted her hand.

"What am I doing?"

She moved back to the armchair, looking at her mask one last time before going to sleep.

* * *

The winds showed no signs of slowing down. The once gentle morning breeze had become a strong gust that swept through the open field once the afternoon hours set in. Natsu tied his scarf tighter so it wouldn't fly away as he struggled to stay in one place. When he looked to Raven she was standing perfectly still before him. The wind hadn't moved her in the slightest. It made him just a tad jealous.

Just like Raven had said they left the inn at dawn and continued making their way east. After passing through another village to eat breakfast, the pair soon found themselves in another forest by the afternoon. The more scenery he saw the more Natsu was starting to see that Remnant was not that different from Earthland in terms of geography.

"Why did we stop, Miss Raven?"

"Raven."

"Huh?"

"From now on address me as Raven. Miss is too formal."

"Um, ok. Why did we stop…Raven?"

"We're starting your training."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What training?"

"Ozpin told me that I was to train you during our time together. Apparently you have some inner power that he thinks I can bring out of you."

Natsu was still confused by Raven's explanation. _What power? Does she mean my magic?_ Natsu shrugged his shoulders. In the end he didn't really care. He hadn't fought anything since coming to Remnant. At least this was an opportunity to let loose.

"Prepare yourself." Raven ordered.

Natsu settled himself into a stance.

"Come at me with everything you have. Hold nothing back."

Natsu nodded, then noticed that Raven's weapon was laid off to the side. "You're not going to use your sword?"

"I never use my blade against unarmed opponents. I'm to train you, not kill you. If you wish for me to use my sword, you must earn that right."

Natsu pouted. "That's lame. How can I go all out if you're not going to take this seriously?"

"I'll give you some incentive then." She pointed to her mask. "If you manage to land a single blow on me by nightfall I will tell you the reason I wear this mask, but if you should fail there will be a penalty."

"What kind of penalty?"

"Begin!"

Natsu was startled by Raven's sudden shout. She didn't even attempt to answer his question. Nonetheless he raced forward with his fist drawn back to strike. She sidestepped the boy and kicked him back down to the grass.

 _He's much faster than I thought. Perhaps he does posses some skill._

Natsu charged again. This time he dropped to the ground in an attempt to trip Raven. She hopped, forcing Natsu to slide underneath and past her.

"You telegraph your attacks. You must be more duplicitous."

Natsu had no idea what Raven was talking about. Just what did duplicitous mean anyway? He charged a third time. Raven's eyes went wide when she saw his fists engulfed him flames.

 _What's this?!_

 _ **FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST**_

Raven could feel the heat of the fire from behind her mask. _Those are real flames._ _Is this the boy's semblance?_ She managed to evade his strike, but Natsu wasn't done. He whipped his head around to her, his mouth opening wide as what Raven could only assume was a red glyph appeared between them.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON ROAR**_

A fierce torrent of flames burst forth from the boy's mouth at a frightening speed. Raven barely had time to dodge before Natsu was on her again. His fist drawn back he lunged forward with a crushing blow that upset the ground they stood on.

"Gotcha! Was that doubleness enough for ya?" The boy's confidence quickly faded upon the realization that Raven had caught his punch. She squeezed his hand. Natsu struggled to free himself.

"Duplicitous." She threw Natsu back near the tree line and reset herself. "Try again."

Natsu wiped the drop of blood from his cheek and stood up once more. He and Raven clashed again as the day wore on, but each time Natsu seemed further and further from his goal. No matter what he tried Raven had a counter. Not even his magic gave him much of an advantage in the fight as Igneel had only taught him the Roar and the Iron Fist techniques.

She's really tough.

Natsu was thrown back for what felt like the hundredth time. Raven had yet to be winded by his onslaught, she wasn't even sweating - though even she was he couldn't tell because of the mask. Natsu looked up, the sky was turning orange. Night would soon be upon them. If he didn't want to experience whatever penalty Raven had in store for him he would have to hurry and land a blow. Focusing on Raven's words about unpredictability, his eyes fell upon her sword. _I got it!_ He dashed for the blade. Raven saw through his plan and reached out to him.

"No! Don't!"

Interpreting Raven's command as good thing, Natsu grabbed the hilt of her blade. Just as he was about to unsheathe it, he knocked away by a powerful wave of energy. The backlash sent the boy flying, but Raven caught him before he hit the ground. Looking down, Raven saw that Natsu had been rendered unconscious from the blast. She sighed in exhaustion.

"Little fool."

* * *

Natsu awoke hours later to the starry skies above. He sat up, his hand pressed against his aching forehead. He felt like he had just been hit by a falling airship.

"What happened?"

"You've finally awakened."

Natsu saw Raven sitting across from him, a campfire separating them from each other. Through the crackling flames he could see that she was snacking on the leg of some poor animal she no doubt found roaming about in the woods.

"Did I win?"

Raven took a bite out of her meal. "I believe you already know the answer to that."

Natsu slumped. "Aw man. I was so close too."

"My scabbard is calibrated so that only I may wield my sword. Anyone else is immediately hit with a violent combination of dust and my aura." Raven explained. "Your idea was a novel one, but don't do it again if you value living."

"Ok." Natsu reached for the other piece of meat over the fire, but his hand was quickly slapped away by Raven. "What was that for?!"

"Your penalty. Until you can land a blow on me, you are forbidden to eat."

"What?! But that's not fair! I'll die if I don't eat!"

"Water will suit you fine. Humans can live close to a month without food as long as they are properly hydrated. Think of it as a time limit." Raven grabbed the remaining piece of meat and threw it into the forest for the stray animals to eat. Natsu was devastated. "Let this be the first of many lessons: The weak die and the strong survive. That is the nature of this or any world." She put out the fire, immediately ruining Natsu's chances of sneaking another meal. She turned her back to him and laid on her blanket.

"Get some rest. We set out again at sunrise."

Natsu laid back down in the grass. "This sucks." He closed his eyes and went to sleep, the growls of his stomach echoing in the night air.

* * *

 **New chapter! I don't know if it was divine intervention or my penchant for getting writer's block paying off, but the newest episode of RWBY really helped out when it came to writing this chapter. I won't spoil anything for those who have yet to see it, but essentially the biggest takeaway from the episode is that we dive a bit more into Raven's backstory and her relationship with Qrow. That was a huge help for me interpretation of her character and what her connection to out favorite pinkette will be.**

 **This is a somewhat kinder Raven then what we see when she is first introduced in RWBY. She's still silent and cold, but not as much as she in the present day. She still has left Yang, but it's early enough where she still somewhat regrets doing it, and now she finds another child thrust upon her. They will impact each other, and in a way what happens to Natsu later (i.e. his amnesia) will push Raven further down the path to who she is now. I'll try not to bring up too much since we don't know her full backstory, but I think adding a couple vague nuances here and there won't hurt much in the long run. No spoilers though.**

 **Also I got a review recently that said I probably should have ended this story at chapter 33, since I now run the risk of contradicting canon. Now while I don't really like holding myself as a slave to canon too much in these type of stories, I can see the sentiment. So I'll put it to a vote: Do you guys want me to continue this story after I finish the origin chapters? Or do you want me end this story with the origin chapters and create a sequel that follows Vol. 4 onward?**

 **I'll create a poll on my profile that will be open until the 15th of December. That gives you guys roughly 2-3 weeks to decide. Choose wisely.**

 **As always leave me a review/comment letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	39. Understanding

"Again!"

On command a small fist slammed against the trunk of a tree.

"Again!"

Once more the trunk shook from the impact.

"Again!"

"Can we take a break, Raven? My arms are getting numb."

"Your enemies will not take a break. You must be able to keep up even when exhausted."

"Ok, but why can't I use my magic?"

"You rely too much on that power. It has its limits. You must learn to protect yourself without it."

Natsu had been at this for hours. Since the sun rose in the sky Raven had instructed him to punch the side of the large tree in the field with his bare hands until his arms gave out. This had been daily routine for the last week. He'd wake up and strike trees without using his magic until his limbs gave out. Then they would set out east again. Once the sun set, they'd spar.

"Keep your shoulders firm. Otherwise your form will suffer. Start again."

Natsu did as he was instructed and started over. He didn't mind training, in fact he loved it…when he was with Igneel. The fire dragon could be mean and yell sometimes, but he always encouraged Natsu to do better. Even at such a young he knew what tough love was. Raven was just tough.

Instead of encouraging the boy, she routinely told him how much he was doing wrong. From his flimsy form, to his unsteady breathing, and even his punches not being hard enough. It seemed no matter what he did there was no pleasing his guardian.

After a few minutes, Natsu's arms finally fell to his sides.

"Are you done?" Raven asked.

Natsu nodded. "I can't lift my arms anymore." He offered Raven his best smile. She sighed from behind her mask.

"I suppose it's time for us move on anyway. Gather your belongings. We'll wash ourselves in the nearest river."

A few moments struggling to put things together later with his sore limbs, Natsu followed Raven into the trees towards the campsite.

Fall had set upon Remnant during the time Natsu had been travelling with Raven. Natsu thought it was beautiful how the leaves changed colors. Nature seemed much more vibrant here compared to what he was used to in Earthland. The sounds he heard were sharper, the smells he noticed were stronger, and the colors he saw were much brighter and vivid. Every day he could feel his senses heightening and growing stronger. Perhaps he was acclimating to the structure of this world. Even so he missed his true home…and his father.

"Igneel."

Natsu looked ahead to his master. As usual her back was to him. He had seen this view million times since he had been in Raven's care. It was like staring at a wall, or to be more accurate, a gate that closed off her heart from him.

"You have mentioned that name a few times before." Raven continued. "Who is Igneel?"

Natsu was rightfully surprised by Raven's sudden question. This was the first time in a while she ever asked him something that didn't have to do with training.

"He's my dad."

"Where is he?"

"…I don't know. He went missing too long ago."

"Missing?" The word had garnered Raven's interest. "What do mean by missing?"

"One day I woke up…and he was gone."

"So you were abandoned."

Natsu stopped walking. Raven's blunt response triggered something within him, his heart sunk into stomach, slowly giving rise to anger. Raven stopped and faced him. His gaze was low, his eyes hidden beneath his bangs, and his shoulders were slumped. His little fists were shaking and clenched so tight that Raven wondered when the blood would start to flow from his palms.

"Igneel didn't abandon me." Natsu muttered. "I just have to find him."

"It's clear that this 'Igneel' person simply got tired of you and left. He does not want to be found, because he does not want to see you."

"Shut up…" The humidity in the air around them started to rise. "You don't know anything!"

Natsu charged Raven, his body covered in a ball of fire. The world spun and in a flash the young boy found himself face down in the dirt with his arm folded against his back, and the blade of Raven's sword pressed against his neck.

"You're far too naïve." she said coldly. "The only person in this world you can truly trust, is yourself. The sooner you learn that, the easier your life will be." Raven's eyes were darker than normal behind her mask. Natsu felt that if he moved a single muscle she would open his throat without hesitation. He remained motionless, but his face was twisted in anger at Raven as she slowly released him.

"The river is not far from here. Once you finish cleaning yourself we're moving on." Raven didn't so much as spare Natsu a glance as she said this. Natsu rose up from the dirt, rubbing his sore arm as he walked past Raven.

"I hate you."

* * *

Raven stood at the tree line, her back to Natsu as the boy washed himself in the waters of the pond.

"Stupid Raven." The boy muttered. "She doesn't know anything about Igneel." Natsu held strong to his belief that Igneel didn't leave him, but Raven's words remained persistent in his ear. _He does not want to be found, because he doesn't want to see you._ Natsu looked down at his saddened reflection in the rippling waters. "He didn't abandon me."

Raven was also conflicted. While she meant every word she said to Natsu about his being abandoned, she questioned if that was the time to say it.

 _Was I too harsh with him? Perhaps I could have phrased things better._

She looked down to her sword. She was ashamed to have unsheathed her blade on a child, but that was overshadowed by her mentality as a warrior. Raven pushed back the negative thoughts, straightened her stance, and looked forward again.

 _If he cannot handle the truth then he will only suffer._

The root of their problem was a fairly simple one: Natsu and Raven simply did not understand one another, or rather they didn't want to.

To Raven, Natsu was nothing more than an assignment. An aspect to further her training. She had little to no care for his overall well-being. All that mattered to her was that he follow her instructions and as do he was told. He was more of a tool for her to use than a person – let alone a child. He was a chore to take care of.

Natsu saw Raven in a similarly negative light. She was rude, callous, and didn't care what anyone else said as long as she made her was a bully plain and simple; as well as frustrating to be around for very long. The fact that they failed to see the irony was astonishing.

"Dry yourself quickly." Raven said when Natsu emerged from the pond. "We need to reach the next town before nightfall."

Natsu didn't reply to Raven, but did as he was told. Within a minute they were travelling again.

"Be careful." She advised. "Do not touch any plants, and be wary of bugs. Insects in this area are poisonous."

Natsu remained silent. His face stuck in a pout, he refused to acknowledge anything Raven said to him. When she noticed this the woman sighed beneath her mask.

 _Such a stubborn child._

The pair exited the forest and entered into a serene meadow. The sun was starting to set, but was still high enough where the sky was still a bright blue.

Remnant was vast a land filled with various creatures, people, and places. Over the time he had spent with Raven, Natsu had seen many things as well as many people that he would have never encountered in Earthland. In a way it reminded him of the times he and Igneel would travel through Ishgal and explore the land. The dragon told him about all of the villages that accepted Dragons. They visited a few of them, and were always treated well by the people.

It was similar in Remnant, but at the same time completely different. Every village he and Raven walked through were populated, but most people were too afraid to approach because of Raven. In addition to her scary mask, Raven didn't exactly give off the most welcoming of airs.

 _Maybe she had a bad past or something._ Natsu thought. _Igneel told me people like that are really mean a lot of the time. I've never heard her talk about anybody before. She probably doesn't have any friends…_

When Natsu thought more about it, he started to feel sorry for Raven. Lost in thought, Natsu failed to notice an insect buzzing around his head - a black and red wasp - and landing on his shoulder. Raising it's jagged, sword like stinger in the air, the wasp quickly stabbed Natsu in the side of his neck.

"Ah!"

"What happened?"

Raven turned around to check on Natsu. She forcibly tilted his head, seeing the black bump on his neck.

"I told you to be careful." She scolded. "What stung you?"

"I don't...know..." Natsu trailed off. His vision became blurry and he started losing his balance. When he tried to take a step forward he abruptly collapsed.

"Natsu!"

* * *

The quiet hums of a young deer Faunus echoed in the quiet meadow. As she watered the flowers in her garden, Her long brown hair wafted in the soft breeze. When she smiled at her work, her soft green eyes shimmered.

"That should be good for now. The sun is starting. Time to head inside for the day."

She set down her pail and started humming to herself again. When she opened the door to her cabin her eyes widened in shock. "Raven?" She saw the masked woman held a sick young boy with pink hair in her arms.

"I need your help."Raven replied with a sense of urgency.

The young woman stowed her shock and quickly prepared the bed next to Raven for the boy. "Lay him down here."

Raven followed her instructions and placed Natsu on the bed. She stepped back allowing the Faunus to examine him. His breathing was labored, his cheeks were red, and his forehead was hot to the touch. It was a wonder he was even conscious right now. "What happened to him?"

"He was-"

"If you're going to speak to me do it without the mask. You know I hate that thing."

Raven sighed, but complied with the request and removed her mask before speaking again. "He was stung by a Rapier wasp."

"Why didn't you take him to a doctor?"

"You were closer."

"Fill this with water, please." She handed Raven a small bowl. "And bring me a towel. They should be in the second drawer on the right."

Reluctantly, Raven did this and brought back the towel as requested, placing both on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Thank you." The Faunus dipped the towel into the bowl for a few seconds and wrung it out. "It would be an understatement to say that I'm surprised to see you." she said to Ravem. "Even more so with a child in tow." She wiped the sweat from Natsu's body with the damp cloth, but couldn't help but notice how thin and frail the boy's body was. "Is he sickly?"

"No. He hasn't eaten in nearly a month."

"What?! Why not?!"

"It's part of his training."

"Raven, that's insane even for you. Starving him has only made his condition worse!"

"I did not come here for a lecture, Verdant. Can you treat him or not?"

"I should have some herbs in my garden to treat him." The Faunus stood up from Natsu's bedside and walked to the door, grabbing a lamp to light the darkness outside.

Verdant Cervidae, an old acquaintance of Raven's from her days at Beacon Academy. During those days she much preferred her own company as opposed to others. Judging by the solitary location of the cabin she stayed in that mentality hadn't changed much over the years. Though one thing Raven was thankful for was Verdant's desire to help others hadn't changed either.

Renouncing violence at a young age, the deer Faunus used her time at Beacon to focus on how to expand the healing capabilities of her Aura. There was no one Raven trusted more when it came to dealing with bodily injuries and sickness – and that was saying a lot given her own resources within the tribe. Her own nursed scars were proof of Verdant's skills.

As the self-proclaimed medic mixed together the ingredients she took from her garden to create an antidote for the poison, Raven was focused entirely on Natsu. She hadn't taken her eyes off of him since the moment he collapsed.

A shock ripped through Raven's body when she saw Natsu hit the ground. She had never felt anything like it before. She was…scared. Something within her told her that if Natsu died she would never forgive herself. Without a moment's hesitation she unsheathed her blade and slashed a portal that lead directly to Verdant's home – which was hundreds of miles from their current location.

"The boy."

Verdant's sudden words caught Raven's attention. For the first time she looked away from Natsu.

"Is he yours?"

If Raven was capable of such she would have smiled at that remark. "No." she replied flat. "The boy is not mine."

"I thought not, but I was curious anyway. To be honest I can't really see you as the parenting type."

Raven couldn't argue with Verdant's comment. On the long list of titles she acquired over the years, mother was not one of them. Well, that's not entirely true. There were only four people that could call her a mother: one was dead, two she would never see again if she could help it, and the fourth was her brother.

Raven changed the towel on Natsu's head. "Are you finished with that antidote yet?"

"Almost. Don't worry. The boy will be fine."

"I'm not worried."

Verdant grinned. "Of course you're not. Just where did the boy come from?"

"Natsu."

"Sorry?"

"Hi name is Natsu."

"My apologies. So, where did Natsu come from?"

"I'm not sure. He was given to me by Professor Ozpin with my assignment being to train him for something. I didn't ask where the boy came from, because I simply didn't care. Though he has told me that his home is a place called 'Earthland'."

"Earthland? I've never heard of that place."

"That's because it doesn't exist."

Verdant was confused. "What do you mean?"

"As I said. Wherever this 'Earthland' is, it's not on Remnant."

"Perhaps it's some sort of new village?"

"No. Every person I've asked has said they've never heard of it either."

"Have you asked Natsu where it is?"

"He's not sure either. All he knows is that it isn't here."

"Well that's not odd at all." Verdant dumped the crushed herbs from her wooden bowl into a cup of warm water. She stirred the mixture together, the water turning deep purple in color. "Prop him up."

Raven held Natsu up as Verdant walked over. He was starting to sweat again. Unconsciously she held him a little tighter. Verdant opened the boy's mouth and slowly poured the liquid down his throat.

"Swallow this." she instructed the boy. Natsu coughed up a bit of the antidote while Verdant poured.

"Slow down. He'll choke to death." Raven said.

Again a grin break through Verdant's face. "My apologies." When Verdant was finished Raven laid Natsu back down, and Verdant once again cleaned his body sweat. His breathing slowed, and within a few minutes the sick child was fast asleep.

"He'll be groggy, but he should be fine by morning."

"Good. That means we can leave as soon as he awake. We've already spent too much time here."

"Your clothes are all sweaty." Verdant held out her hand. "Give them to me so I can wash them."

While reluctant at first, Raven acquiesced and took off her obi and kimono. When she handed them to Verdant, the Faunus realized that all Raven had under it were spandex shorts and sarashi around her breasts.

"Why are you staring?"

"Sorry. I just thought you would have more clothes on hand." Verdant opened the dresser drawer next to the bed and handed Raven a pair of cloth pants and a shirt. "Put these on until your clothes are ready, the last thing we need is Natsu's blood pressure rising."

Raven huffed and snatched the clothes from Verdant.

Time passed slowly as the stars twinkled high in the dark skies. Raven watched Natsu as he slept. He looked so peaceful. It seems the antidote had did its job. Raven could rest easy. Her eyes were getting heavy, but Raven refused to succumb to sleep. Something might happen to Natsu while she was out.

"Thirsty?"

Raven turned her head, seeing Verdant holding a mug of hot tea to her. She graciously took the beverage.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." The Faunus moved to a chair seated near the front door of the cabin. "Maybe you should get some rest. He's not going to wake up anytime soon."

"I'm fine." Raven said curtly. She sipped her tea, the aftertaste irritated her tongue. "It's bitter."

"Sorry. All I have is black tea. You want anything else you're going to have to make a run."

Raven scowled. "I'll manage. Why don't you take your own advice and rest?"

"I would, but Natsu is sleeping in the only bed I own. I'd prefer not to sleep on the floor of my own house if I can help it."

"You seem to be doing better since last I saw you."

"I'm adjusting. Living this far away has its advantages, but there are still Grimm that roam about every now and again."

"Do you deal with them?"

"When I have to."

While certainly not the best fighter out of their class– that title was begrudgingly shared between Raven and her brother - Verdant could hold her own well enough in a skirmish if need be. Her weapon was a bow and arrow she called "Rose's Thorn", its secondary mode was that of a long-range rifle. She rarely used it.

"Are you still a member of the White Fang?" Raven asked, her tone slightly elevated above indifferent.

"I left a month ago."

Raven remained silent, prompting Verdant to explain her reasoning.

"I still believe in the cause. I always will. Equal rights for Faunus is something that should not have to be earned. We should already have it. Despite our differences with humans we all inhabit this world, and we should be able to live in it equally."

"If you support the cause, then why leave?"

"A faction within the White Fang has slowly been gaining influence in recent months. Unlike the rest of the organization, these…fanatics wish to take equality by force. They say that the way the White Fang has been going about things all this time has amounted to nothing, that Faunus are somehow worse off than we were before. They preach that violence and intimidation are the only ways to really get what we want, and that the current leaders are weak."

"I can't say I can argue with that logic."

Verdant for a moment glared at Raven. "Violence only begets more violence. Threatening and forcing humans to accept us will only make them resent us more. It's pointless."

"So you suggest the Faunus simply roll over and allow humans to continue belittling and abusing them? Seems counter-productive." The dull, uninterested manner in which Raven spoke of these issues only made Verdant angrier.

"I'm not sure what should be done, but I do know that all violence will in the long run accomplish nothing."

"I imagine leaving was not an easy task."

"Normally it is, but luckily High Leader Ghira helped plead my case."

"The chieftain of Menagerie?"

Verdant nodded. "I once healed his daughter when she was suffering from a terrible illness some time ago. He said his aid in my case was him paying me back for that."

"You certainly are a fortunate one."

"Depends on how you look at it. I'm sure there are more than a few people who were upset about my departure, but that's enough about me. I can't be the only one sharing information."

"There is nothing important for me to say." Raven said plainly. Verdant could tell she was lying.

"How are things with you and Taiyang?"

"Over."

Raven's emphatic tone surprised Verdant. Realizing that was a sore subject she changed the topic. "How is your brother? Still chasing skirts and chugging alcohol?"

"I wouldn't doubt it. I haven't spoken to him in months."

"You two are a lot alike, you know? You just pop in whenever you feel like it with no regard to others."

Raven ignored Verdant's attempt at a joke.

"I wonder how Summer is doing. She was such a ball of energy when we were in school. She's probably out there hunting Grimm like there's no tomorrow-"

"Summer's dead."

The sudden revelation caused Verdant to drop her mug. The ceramic shattered to pieces, the tea spreading along the worn wood of the floor. Raven remained still, her eyes still on Natsu as she finished the last morsel of her tea.

Verdant composed herself as best she could. "W-when did it happen? What happened?"

"Over a year ago. I don't know the details. No one does. She simply went on a mission, and never came back."

"If she never came back then there is a chance she-"

"Verdant." Raven interrupted. "You know as well as I do that that is not the case."

Verdant settled back into her chair, her solemn expression steadily growing. "You're right. It's just…I can't believe that she's gone. I'm sorry, Raven. I know you two were close."

When Raven didn't offer a reply, Verdant surmised that playing catch up was over for the night. She got up to clean the mess she had made on the floor. When she walked past Raven to get the broom, she realized that the dark-haired warrior had fallen asleep.

She grinned softly and reached inside her closet for the spare blanket. She draped it over Raven, causing her to groan a bit in her sleep. Slowly, Natsu's eyes began to open.

"Where am I...?" He asked weakly. "Who are you?"

"My name is Verdant Cervidae. It's good to see you're finally awake." Verdant smiled and placed her hand on Natsu's forehead to check his temperature. He was still warm, but his temperature had significantly gone down from what it was before. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by one of those flying metal monsters."

"Rapier wasps stings tend to do that." Verdant had no idea what Natsu was talking about, but she played along. "Are you hungry? I can make you something if you like."

Natsu felt his stomach grumble. "No, I'm ok." he lied. "Besides, Raven says I can't eat until I beat her in a fight."

"I appreciate your dedication to training, but I'm going to cook you something anyway. You're weak from the poison and you need your strength to get better. Also you're a growing boy. You need your nutrients."

"But-"

"No buts. If Raven has a problem with it she can take it up with me." Verdant put on an apron and moved to the small kitchen in the cabin. "Friendly advice. You should always listen to your doctor."

Natsu said nothing more and watched Verdant prepare his meal in her kitchen. The alluring scent of meat and potatoes made his stomach roar – in no part due to his forced fast over the last month and a half. After awhile Verdant brought Natsu a bowl of stew

"The antidote is still working it's way through your system, so you have to eat this for now."

Natsu nearly snatched the bowl. He didn't matter what manner of food it was, he was just happy to finally put something in his body besides water.

Verdant watched as Natsu voraciously ate the stew. "I guess Raven really has been starving you, huh?"

Natsu swallowed the remaining soup out of the bowl. "Yeah. She's the worst. All she does is yell at me and tell me I'm weak. I hate it. She sucks."

Verdant couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's rather honest answer. "Raven can be…prickly at times, but I wouldn't be too hard on her. Based on what little she's told me, her life wasn't an easy one."

"What happened?"

"I don't know the details, but apparently it was only her and her brother for a long time."

"Raven has a brother?"

Verdant nodded. "His name is Qrow. I'm sure he'll pop by if you stick around her long enough."

Natsu looked to Raven. She looked like a completely different person while she slept. All traces of her usual roughness were gone, replaced by an air of vulnerability that Natsu could feel was similar to his own.

"She hasn't left your side since she brought you here." Verdant said." You should have seen her face while I was working on you, I've never seen her so worried."

Natsu was shocked by this news. "Raven…was worried about me?"

"You couldn't really tell by looking, but yes. The whole time she never took her eyes off of you. It was like a mother hen watching over her egg. She only just now went to sleep."

Natsu was speechless. It never once occurred to him that Raven actually cared.

"I think you are a good influence on her." Verdant grinned. She walked over to Natsu and took the empty soup bowl. "So whatever you're doing, don't stop ok?"

Natsu was still focused on Raven. When he saw the blanket start to slip from her shoulders he carefully pulled it back up.

Raven muttered causing Natsu to jump back in fear that she might wake prematurely. When she settled he sighed in relief. Through her quiet ramblings, Natsu heard Raven say a word, or rather a name:

"…Yang."

* * *

"Are you ready?"

"Yep."

Natsu finished wrapping his scarf around his neck and met Raven at the door. The sun was beginning to rise ahead of them. It was later than Raven would have liked to leave, but she decided to let sleep just an hour or so longer.

"Hold on." Verdant grabbed a few vials from her work bench and placed them inside Natsu's bag. "I made a few more mixes of the antidote to treat a wide array of poisoning and other things. They should make travelling a little easier. Also…" Verdant also removed two large thermoses from her fridge. "This is an herbal drink that restores energy. It should hold you over until you're able to eat again."

"Wow. Thanks, Verdant!" Natsu smiled and took the thermoses.

"You're welcome. Just keep at it. i know you'll beat her soon." Verdant gave her a thumbs up, which Natsu eagerly returned.

"Yeah! I will!"

"Thank you for everything you've done, Verdant." Raven bowed. Natsu bowed as well.

"Don't mention it. I was just helping an old friend is all. You two be safe."

"We will. Come, Natsu. We're far behind schedule." Raven walked out of the cabin, placing her mask over her face.

"!Bye, Verdant!"

"So long!" Verdant waved at the pair for a little while, when they were out of sight she stretched her arms overhead. It looked to be a beautiful day. "Guess I should start my day as well."

* * *

Natsu walked a few paces behind Raven just as he always did. Despite his talk with Verdant the previous night, Natsu didn't feel like much had changed between him and Raven. She felt as distant as ever. Lost in thoughts, Natsu nearly ran into Raven when she stopped walking.

"I apologize...for what I said."

Natsu looked up to Raven's long black mane in confusion. "Sorry?"

"What I said yesterday, about Igneel, it was callous and unbecoming of me. I'm sure you will find him one day."

Natsu smiled and sped up his pace so he was a little closer to Raven. "Thanks. I'm sorry I tried to hit you."

"It's fine. I may have deserved that."

Suddenly Raven reached behind herself towards Natsu. "Take my hand." She said. "The last thing I need is you getting bitten again."

His smile brightening, Natsu gladly accepted the offer and grabbed his guardian's hand. The two walked side by side towards the rising sun.

* * *

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**

 **Before the day is out I wanted to get out this new chapter. Time to wind it down. I'd say the origin has about 2-3 more chapters before I officially start working on vol. 4. Hopefully I can get those done sooner rather than later. Also, as for the poll results: You guys have voted I continue this story. So that is what I'm going to do. Thanks to all that voted.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	40. A Mother's Heart, A Child's Plea

Natsu downed the last bits of herbal drink in his thermos as the fog bared down on him and Raven in the wee hours of the morning. They had been hiking through the mountains for the past four days and he was beyond tired. The massive range separated Vale right down the middle, blocking the east half of the country from the west. It was quite the impressive feat all things considered. From what Natsu remembered from the map, the continent that Vale resided on - Sanus - was almost twice the size of Ishgal.

"Stay close. The fog only gets thicker from here on out."

Natsu quickened his pace at Raven's warning until he was next to her. It had been nearly three months now since Natsu had been left in Raven's care. In that time Natsu hadn't so much as forced her to take a step back during their sparring sessions, let alone beat her outright. Thankfully due to Verdant's drinks he was able to stave off complete starvation, but since he had just finished his last one only time would tell when the pain in his stomach would continue.

"Raven?"

"What is it?"

"Where are we going?"

"East."

"I know that already." Natsu was starting to get irritated with his guardian's short answers. "Where east?"

"You'll see when we arrive."

Natsu wasn't pleased with the answer, but at the same time he knew asking Raven anything else would be useless. As such he crossed his arms in a huff and shut his mouth in a pout. Even if he and Raven had gotten relatively closer during their time together, she still managed to keep herself at a safe distance. When they finally reached the summit of the mountain they were climbing, Natsu could see a faint silhouette in the fog.

The heavy mist started to thin as the wind blew through the mountain range. When it finally dissipated enough for him to see clearly, the silhouette was revealed to be an abandoned, broken city.

"Wow. What is that place?"

"Mountain Glenn." Raven explained. "It was an attempt from Vale to expand their kingdom further into the continent."

"What happened to it?" Natsu was almost afraid to ask.

"Grimm."

Without another word, Raven started down the slope of the mountain. Natsu following close behind.

* * *

It took three more days to reach Mountain Glenn from the mountain summit, and just as Raven described along the way the streets were crawling with all manners of Grimm. The monsters aimlessly walked about, searching for any trace of meat to satiate their never ending hunger. Upon entering the city Natsu and Raven hid themselves away in a building close to the center. They had been watching the Grimm skulk about for two days.

"Now tell me again," Raven started. "What did you see? How many Grimm are currently roaming about this place?"

"Ten…I think."

Raven's eyes narrowed in displeasure, prompting Natsu to think again.

"Fifteen?"

After a solid minute of pure unnerving silence Raven nodded. Natsu sighed in relief. This was another aspect of Natsu's training. He and Raven canvased the area within a one mile radius, Natsu taking mental notes of any Grimm he had seen. The young boy had no idea why he was being forced to do this, but it wasn't really smart to question Raven too much.

"What type of Grimm do you see outside right now?"

Natsu looked down ground from the window. "Um…Beowolves, Creeps, and I think I see a Beringel."

"What about above? Are there any Nevermores?"

Natsu craned his neck up to the sky. It was clear. "Nope."

"Do you remember the buildings I showed you before coming here?"

"Yeah."

"How many are within one mile of this one?"

"Umm…twenty."

"Right. Do you know why I am asking you these questions?"

"No. Not really."

"You must always be aware of your surroundings. No matter if you are choosing a place to rest for the evening, or fighting an enemy. If you don't completely assess the situation and be aware of your location at all times, you could be caught off-guard and lose your life."

"Something like that ever happened to you?"

"Once. That is why I am telling you now."

"What happened?"

Raven paused for a moment before standing up. "We're going outside."

"Hold on, Raven!"

Natsu followed his stoic teacher to the bottom floor of the building they used for their camp.

"What are we doing?"

"Your next lesson. We will be staying here for another week. During that time I want you to use your knowledge of the terrain to defeat every Grimm that appears in this area each day until sunrise. When the week is done, we will spar again. One last thing, during your trail you are forbidden to use your fire abilities."

"What?! But I can't-"

Without warning Raven kicked Natsu into the street. She whistled loudl and caught the Grimm's attention. All of them stared at Natsu.

"Raven! Come back!" Natsu looked back to the doorway, but his guardian was nowhere in sight. _Where did she go?! She can't just leave me here!_

One of the Beowolves broke free from the mob; its dirty claws already high in the air to attack. Natsu rolled under the swipe and kicked the creature's legs from under it.

Driving his fist into the monster, Natsu could hear the audible snap of the Beowolf's chest cavity. He'd successfully killed it. The monster disintegrated around the boy's arm.

 _One down. Fourteen to go._

"Who's next?!" Despite his boast, Natsu was scared out of his mind. He had never seen so many Grimm in one place before.

White faces, pitch-black matted fur, and haunting red eyes not even attempting to hide killing intent. These creatures were just as fearsome as Glynda and Raven warned him so many times over. One or two Grimm he could take just fine. Even five wouldn't be that difficult, but over ten? At once? It felt nearly impossible. Nevertheless he had to try. Raven – wherever she was – was watching him. He didn't want to disappoint her again.

He thought of the lessons had been drilling in him for the past two days.

 _Use my environment. Use my environment._

The Grimm charged en masse. Natsu ran in the other direction, ducking into an old gas station. He watched intently as the Grimm passed him by.

 _This sucks. Why is she making me do this? Those things are scary up close._ He thought.

Natsu sat down against the wall and thought about what his next move should be. Strategy was not his forte. He normally just flung himself at whatever was in his way and hoped for the best. It usually worked, but his time with Raven proved that he had to think of other tactics.

Raven was unlike anyone he had ever met before. She was much sterner than Igneel was with him, and Igneel was a fire-breathing dragon! Igneel never scared Natsu that much, but Raven did all the time. He could never tell what she was thinking. It was like her heart was masked as well as her face - the only difference was she never took the mask over her heart off. There were brief glimpses of who Natsu thought was the real woman underneath, but they were few and far betwteen. Nowhere near frequent enough to get an overall read on her.

One minute she was nursing him when he was sick, and then the next she was throwing him into a pack of Grimm with only the clothes on his back and his wits.

 _"Why can't I have a sword like you?"_ He asked her once.

 _You're much too clumsy for a weapon, your fists will be more than enough for you to protect yourself._

 _Easy for her to say. She has a giant sword._ He thought.

Natsu was greatly disadvantaged without the use of his magic. Just how could he hope to beat that many Grimm without his fire? The task was getting more insurmountable by the minute.

 _Maybe I can try and lure them away and take them down one by one? Nah. That would take way too long. What time is it? I can't tell. There isn't a clock in here._

Natsu heard a guttural growl directly above him. Slowly he cranked his neck upward, his eyes meeting the blood red sclrea of a Beowolf. He had been found! Natsu dove further into the building, catching a brief glimpse of the creature breaking through the stone with its large claws. Natsu slid along the floor of the abandoned station, his body slamming into a dusty wooden shelf. He stood up and dusted himself off as the Beowolves - there were three of them now - stalked closer to him.

 _Crap! What am I going to do? What am I…?_

Natsu's nose started twitching. The dust that was on the shelves was now floating around in the air. As the haze started to settle Natsu could no longer control his spasms.

"ACHOO!"

A huge torrent of flames erupted from the boy's mouth in a second. The intense blaze swallowed the Grimm, frying them in an instant. When the flames cleared Natsu realized the Grimm were gone.

"What happened? Did they run away?" He then stuck his chest out with a proud grin. "Must have realized that they couldn't beat me. Stupid monsters." He sniffed up the remaining snot in his nose. "I can do this. I don't need my magic. I'll show Raven."

He heard more growls in the distance. "Think I should get out of here before the rest of them find me."

Raven watched from atop a nearby building as Natsu darted out of the station and back into the streets. From her count Natsu had at least eleven more Grimm to defeat before night fell.

"When will you start to get serious?"

Raven wasn't blind, she could see that Natsu had improved during the course of her training. The problem was that he hadn't improved enough by her standards. It had been almost nearly three months, and the boy still had yet to land a single hit on her when they would spar. He barely came close. If her rule about no eating had still been in effect the boy would have died long ago.

It was a game to him. After a sparring session he would just sit up and smile like nothing was wrong. It was infuriating. It was like he wasn't even attempting to take time and reflect on what went wrong. Raven was nearly at her wits end. If nothing changed soon, then she would have wasted her time for absolutely nothing.

"This can't continue."

* * *

Natsu scarfed down the leg of meat that Raven had brought from the forest outside of the city. After hours of hiding and attacking, Natsu finally managed to defeat the last of the Grimm just before the sun set. He found out why Raven wanted him to finish before night fall. As soon as the moon came out, more Grimm migrated into the city. It was like the night was calling them to gather for the next day.

In just a few minutes Natsu saw the number of Grimm grow from the fifteen he faced double. Luckily for him they all went their separate ways.

Raven watched Natsu as he ate. She had to admit that she hadn't expected him to complete the task as quickly as he did. Perhaps he was improving fast enough after all.

"Dow dib I hipf…"

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

Natsu swallowed. "Sorry. Did I do good today?"

"You did well enough. Don't get cocky. The Grimm tomorrow will be much tougher to defeat now that they know we're here."

"Ok. Hey, Raven, can I ask you a question?"

"You already have."

"What? I did? No I didn't."

Raven sighed. Her attempt at a joke had clearly fallen flat on its face. "Never mind. What is it?"

"Who's Yang?"

Raven froze.

"Raven?"

"Who told you that name?"

"Wha-"

"Answer me right now?! How do you know that name?!"

Natsu shrunk back. He had never seen Raven so angry before. She was close to him now, her crimson eyes highlighting her rage. For the first time Natsu thought that Raven would kill him if he didn't answer carefully. His gulp echoed in his ears and stuck in his throat.

"Y-you said it. I heard you say it in your sleep when I was sick."

Raven's glare slowly softened. Natsu's words coupled with the fear in his face made her realize just what she was doing. Of course she muttered the name in her sleep, how else would he have known? Ashamed, Raven backed off and sat down on the other side of the fire.

"I'm sorry. I should not have yelled at you like that."

"It's ok. So…who is Yang?"

Instead of getting angry a second time, Raven fell silent. Natsu noticed this was much different than her normal silence. Raven would usually fall silent for one of two reasons: she simply had nothing important to say, or she wanted Natsu to stop talking. This silence however was uncomfortable. It was awkward and painful. She wasn't silent because she had nothing to say, she was silent because she didn't want to say it.

"You don't have to tell me if-"

"Yang…is my daughter."

Natsu's mouth fell open. "You have a daughter?"

Raven nodded lightly.

"Is she like you? What does she look like? How old is she?"

Natsu's rapid questions hit Raven like an air bus, but she answered them all.

"She should be six right now, same age as you. She has blonde hair, and bright purple eyes." In the faint light of the crackling fire Raven's lips curved into a small but all too noticeable smile. "She is nothing like me. She's…happy and full of life."

"Where is she?"

Raven's smile faded just as quickly as it had come. "Far away from here." She moved kindling around to even out the burn of the fire. "It's time for you to rest. Your trial starts early tomorrow."

Natsu was confused by Raven's sudden shift of topic. "But I wanna talk about-"

"Go to sleep. Now." Raven's commanding tone and piercing gaze returned in full force.

The boy reluctantly settled into his sleeping bag, and turned over. "Fine. Good night."

"Sleep well." Raven continued to stare into the fire. The crackling slowly tuned out, replaced with the sweet laughter of a baby that stuck with Raven for the rest of the night.

* * *

The wind was fiercely blowing through the abandoned structures and broken roads of Mountain Glenn. From atop the highest building Raven could hear the eerie symphony being played by the city as she watched her student engage the Grimm.

This was the final day of his trial, and as expected it was indeed the most grueling. The modest number of Grimm they started with on the first day had nearly tripled as the week continued on. Beowolves, Boarbatusks, and Creeps were normal fair, but sometimes a Beringel managed to insert itself into the pack. There was even a day when both a Death Stalker and a Nevermore tried to enter the battle, though Raven dispatched of both of them before Natsu even had a chance to notice their presence.

He was getting used to the terrain of Mountain Glenn little by little. He never used the same hiding space are twice, and he had started to compensate for his restriction on his abilities by using weapons made from his surroundings. Broken light poles, big rocks, building debris. Whatever Natsu could get his hands on he used to attack or distract the enemy.

While his technique was still very rough, his unorthodox fighting style and upbringing aided him greatly when traversing the city. Jumping off any and everything to get moving. For a child he was certainly adept at adapting to change. Whether that be thrown into a battle with a large group of Grimm, or being paired with a strange woman he didn't even know.

Now was the time Raven was starting to worry about just how much time she had spent with Natsu. She had tried to put it in the back of her mind, but Natsu's questions about her daughter forced the concerns back to the forefront.

This started as an assignment. A job given to her by Ozpin of which she only accepted because it would be a possible benefit the tribe. Relations with Ozpin were to remain strong, but even so he was no fool. Despite their casual way of talking Raven felt the Headmaster was hiding something from her. She also knew that whatever it was had to do with this boy.

It was obvious Natsu was no ordinary child. One strong indicator was that he claimed to be from a place that Raven had never heard of, another was his command over fire. She thought it was a Semblance, but that was clearly not the case the more she was exposed to it.

If Raven had to compare Natsu's abilities to anything, it would be that of a Maidens, but that was impossible. Maidens were exclusively female, and from what Raven had been told, even if a male was the last person on a dying Maiden's thoughts the power would just float to another female strong enough to contain it.

Even with all of those somewhat positive traits Natsu was still very much a child. He had no business being in an environment like this. At first Raven didn't even question just why Ozpin had left Natsu in her care, but now she felt uneasy. Nothing about this boy told her that he wanted any of this. Sure he liked to fight, and when push came to shove he had a talent for it, but those were only surface feelings.

He had to hate this. He had to hate eating scraps. He surely hated sleeping outside in the cold and the rain. He had to hate being stuck with a woman who seemed more concerned with herself and her problems than his well-being. If he didn't hate it than Raven surely did.

Looking at Natsu's face every day only made her realize why she left Yang in the first place. She wasn't fit to be a mother. Her life was too fraught with danger. Her priorities were elsewhere. If she had to choose the tribe always took precedence over what she wanted, even if what she wanted was to be with her family.

Natsu had reminded her of those long buried desires, and it scared her. _The tribe is my family._ That is what she told herself the day she left Taiyang and Yang behind. To her they were just a distraction. A momentary detour used to delude herself.

"Raven!"

She looked down, seeing Natsu standing in the middle of disintegrating Grimm bodies. As always there was a smile on his face amidst the bruises and scratches decorating his body. He couldn't exactly see her, but he knew she could see him so her waved in her general direction.

"I'm done!"

* * *

Natsu stretched his arms as high as he could. Bathed in the moonlight of what he assumed was Mountain Glenn's very spacious marketplace, he waited for Raven.

After he finished slaying the last of the Grimm, Raven dressed his wounds and fed him a light dinner before their eventual spar. During the entire affair she was silent. She didn't even make eye contact. Her demeanor reminded Natsu of how she was when they first met. Cold and emotionally distant. Natsu didn't like feeling that again. He thought he and Raven had gotten closer.

 _Maybe she's mad I asked her about her daughter._ He thought. _I should say sorry._ Natsu pondered this predicament until Raven arrived.

In the dimness of the moon her red eyes shined even more. Her mask firmly set on her face, Natsu felt for a brief moment that he was facing another Grimm. His muscles were still sore from the battles with the Grimm, but they still tensed at the sight of the warrior before him.

"Use everything you've learned over the week to defeat me." Raven said. Her voice was devoid of all emotion. "Once we finish here I am taking you back to Ozpin."

Natsu nearly fell over from the shock of the sudden news. "What? Why I thought-"

In an instant Raven was on him. She buried her fist into his stomach. The boy gasped and was sent flying through the streets and into a pile of stone. Before Natsu could even register what just happened Raven forced him through the debris with a kick to the chest.

"After all this time have you learned nothing? You are still as the weak as the day we met."

Raven's insults were biting. She had completely regressed to the person Natsu met on the docks in Beacon.

"Raven…" Natsu forced himself upright, his bandages starting to stain with the blood of reopened wounds.

The masked swordswoman charged. If it wasn't clear already she was no longer playing around. Raven was putting her all into this fight, and if Natsu wanted to survive he would have to do the same. He drew back his fist, but when he shot forward Raven stepped to the side.

"If you don't come at me with everything you have you will die in this place."

Her threat freezing the boy in his tracks, Raven grabbed his shirt collar and threw him into a nearby building. Gritting his teeth through the pain Natsu crashed through the wall and landed into the darkness of the shop.

 _She hasn't even used her sword yet. Was she always this strong?_ It hurt to breathe. Natsu had never been pushed this hard before. Raven was stronger than all of the Grimm he fought combined.

He felt a presence in the darkness and whipped around. A flash of red appeared and he retreated as quickly as he could. He burst out of the hole in the shop and took off running down the street.

 _I gotta find a place to hide!_

Natsu noticed a raven zip by him at blinding speed. He blinked for a moment and looked forward, shocked to see Raven standing before him.

 _She can transform into a bird?!_

"Is running the best you can do? I'm disappointed."

Raven reached for Natsu, but this time he managed to slide under her arm and through her legs. He inhaled.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON ROAR**_

Her eyes widening from behind her mask, Raven swiftly drew her sword and slashed through the flames. When the fire dispersed Natsu was nowhere to be found. She couldn't help but smirk.

"Better."

Natsu hid himself inside another building, this one appearing to be a metal shop of some sort. All around him were tools used to repair airships and other vehicles. Just being here made his stomach queasy, but he endured it. He had to think of a plan to counter Raven. It was obvious that he couldn't beat her in a head to head fight, she was way too strong. Chances are she was much smarter than him as well. Outthinking her was much easier said than done…but it wasn't impossible.

The one advantage Natsu had over Raven was his magic. She had seen him use it a couple of times, but the kicker was that she didn't know its limits. To be honest Natsu didn't know the limits of his power either, but he knew much more about what he could and couldn't do than Raven did.

Thanks to the fire used to cook their dinner, Natsu was able to give himself a bit of a power boost. He was operating at a much higher rate than he should have given his fight with the Grimm just a few hours earlier. He wasn't exactly at full strength, but if he had to guess he was at about 75-90% at most. Enough to fight Grimm, but not enough to even put a scratch on Raven, let alone beat her.

 _Well that doesn't matter. I only have to hit her once._ He remembered what she said at the beginning of the fight. _Why do I have to go back there? What did I do wrong?_

Natsu poked his head out of the window. The streets were empty.

 _She can change into a bird, right? I bet she's floating above me right now._

Natsu looked to the sky. There were no birds circling about at all. He breathed a sigh of relief. Since Raven was still looking for him he had more time to think of a counterattack.

"Tired already?"

Natsu jumped at the sound of his guardian's voice. Somehow she had found him again without him noticing. She swung her sword. Natsu rolled under the arc. He grabbed one of the saws from the wall and charged. With another swing of her blade Raven rendered Natsu's impromptu weapons useless. She knocked him back into the street. This was becoming something of a pattern. Raven stood over Natsu, the point of her blade close to his throat. It was over.

"Submit. There is nothing more you can do."

Natsu struggled to free himself, but it was no use. "Why are you mad at me, Raven? What did I do bad?"

Raven didn't answer his question directly. "You did much better than before. If you continue at this pace you will become very strong."

A primal roar cut through the night air. Raven – her blade still on Natsu – looked around for the source of the sound. In the darkness she could see numerous pairs of red lights inching closer and closer. From the shadows emerged a horde of Grimm. Beowolves, Creeps, Boarbatusks, and Ursai. There were even Griffons circling about. At the very least there were around sixty Grimm that had gathered around them.

 _They must have been attracted by the noise._ Raven surmised. _There are too many of them to face alone._

Raven looked down to Natsu. "Are you able to stand?" The boy nodded, and Raven helped him to his feet. "Listen very carefully. You are in no condition to handle a fight like this, and I can't protect you and fight at the same time. Our only plan of action is to defeat enough of them to aid in our escape. Do you understand?

Natsu nodded.

"Good."

The pair quickly moved to opposite sides of the battlefield.

"Hey, you ugly monsters! Who said you could but in on our fight?!"

His small fist covered in flames, Natsu made his presence felt by punching a hole in one of the Ursai.

She kicked a Boarbatusk from the end of her blade, and looked to Natsu. "Watch out!"

Raven moved too fast for anyone to see, forcing her blade into the chest of a Beringel that had appeared behind Natsu. The creature fell over, its body dispersing into black mist before hitting the ground.

"Thanks." Natsu smiled in gratitude.

"What have I told you? Be aware of your surroundings. I can't keep doing it for you."

"Sorry." Natsu collected himself and stood back to back with his guardian.

Though he was drained by his battle with Raven, Natsu still managed to put up a decent fight against the Grimm. Narrowly avoiding the swipe of an Ursa's claw, Natsu kneed the creature in the chin, knocking it off balance long enough for him to finish it with a flaming fist to the gut. He jumped into the air.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON ROAR**_

The flames scorched a few of the Creeps and Boarbatusks.

Raven effortlessly cut through multiple Grimm at once with her sword. Deftly swinging the blade about as if it were her own arm, she made short work of a Beringel standing in her path, along with the other Grimm standing around it. Her actions were so fierce that the other Grimm near her started to back away.

She flew into the air, changing back just in time to behead the remaining Griffons soaring above the battlefield. When she landed on the ground the pensive stare beneath her mask dared the other monsters to try their luck. In an act one could only describe as a sense of self-preservation, the remaining Grimm retreated into the shadows of Mountain Glenn once more.

"Yeah you better run!" Natsu shouted. "Don't mess with us again!"

"Don't antagonize them. We're leaving."

"Right. You were awesome Raven."

"You did much better than I thought you would."

"Thanks." Natsu smiled. He could translate Raven. That meant she was proud of him.

On their way back to camp a shrill shriek echoed in the sky. The pair stopped in their tracks. The moon was eclipsed, casting a shadow massive over the area.

"Run."

'Why? What's-"

"Now!"

Natsu and Raven started running as fast as they could. The shrieking got louder and the wind started to howl. Natsu looked over his shoulder into the air, his eyes widening at the frightening sight of a Nevermore speeding towards them.

"Raven!"

"Don't look at it! Keep moving!"

The Nevermore flew closer and closer to its prey, its beak opening to receive its meal.

"Get down!"

Raven pushed Natsu onto the ground and ducked. The creature soared over them and sharply ascended into the air, the shockwave clearing some of the wreckage on the road as well as breaking a few buildings. Raven looked up. The Nevermore was preparing for another dive.

"Get back to camp."

Natsu didn't protest this time and started running again. If he stayed he would only get in the way. Raven readied her weapon. The chamber that housed her odachi rotated, stopping at red dust. She slowly unsheathed her blade, awaiting the moment the Nevermore attacked again. Her grip tightening on the hilt, Raven watched the Grimm dive-bomb. Then it did something she didn't expect.

"What?!"

The Nevermore changed trajectory halfway down, aiming straight for a fleeing Natsu.

 _Dammit!_

Natsu heard the calls of the Nevermore fast approaching. On instinct he turned to face the beast. Just before the monster attacked Raven appeared between them. She held the creature at bay by holding it's mouth open with her sword. She was unaware that the ground beneath her was starting to crack.

"Raven!"

"Don't just stand there! Keep running!"

"R-right!" Natsu took a step and the ground caved in. The boy fell down into the darkness, his terrified yells echoing in the caverns.

"Natsu!"

The ground beneath Raven sunk soon after, taking her and the Nevermore down into the depths of Mountain Glenn's underground city. As she battled the Grimm Raven saw Natsu out of the corner of her left eye. He was just out of reach, his limp body falling almost as fast as she was.

 _He must have been knocked unconscious during the fall! I have to get to him!_

She focused on the Nevermore. The monster was fighting to free itself so it could go after the easier meal, but Raven refused to let go. Under no circumstances would she let it have Natsu.

The ground was coming closer and closer into view, in a few minutes they would all be stains on the bedrock. In one last attack, Raven used her sword to open a portal in the Nevermore's neck. She fell in, emerging out of another portal on the other side. Within seconds the Nevermore's head separated from its body. As its parts evaporated into black mist Raven opened another portal. She appeared at Natsu's side, grabbing him and opening one last portal that brought them back to the surface.

* * *

Roughly a week later Natsu and Raven were making their way through the golden plains of western Vale. They were nearing the first village they stopped in at the start of their journey. The two hadn't spoken so much as a word to each other the entire way.

Just ahead Raven saw a sign next to a dirt path. The city of Vale was roughly half a day's walk from where they were currently. If they hurried they could make it before early morning tomorrow. Raven kept walking, but Natsu came to an abrupt stop just before the path started. She turned to the boy.

"Come on. We're almost there."

"I don't want to go back." Natsu firmly refused.

"It doesn't matter what you want." Raven argued. "I am returning you to Ozpin. It was a mistake for me to take you in the first place."

"I'm not going."

"Natsu…"

"I'm not going!" the boy looked to Raven, tears starting to well up in his eyes. "I want to stay with you, Raven!"

"You can't...it's much too dangerous for a child to be travelling with me."

"I promise I'll be careful next time! I won't talk as much! I won't mention your daughter again! I-"

"That's not the point!" Raven's shout startled Natsu. "You are just a child. The last thing you should be doing is learning how to fight. You should be growing up surrounded by people that care for you, experiencing a normal childhood and doing things with others your age. I cannot teach you that."

Raven was torn. Part of her didn't want to part from Natsu, but he made her weak. Just like Team STRQ, just like Taiyang, and just like Yang. This boy depended on her, but that was simply not an a standard she willingly live up to. He was an outsider. A distraction she could not afford to be caught up in.

"So? I don't want any of that boring stuff. I like being with you, Raven. It's fun."

Natsu's words confused Raven. _Fun?_ What part of fighting Grimm, sleeping in the elements, and nearly starving to death was fun? No one, not even the most rugged of Huntsmen lived in the conditions they had for the past few months.

"Being with you reminds me of when I was with Igneel." For the first time that day Natsu smiled. It was blinding. Raven could feel the warmth in his expression. He may have been naïve, but nothing that came out of his mouth was a lie.

Raven smirked ruefully. "I'm not fit to be a parent."

"I don't want you to be my parent." Natsu stated. "I just want you to be Raven."

The swordswoman's eyes widened. She had finally realized something that had eluded her the entire time. Natsu never had any lofty expectations for her to live up to. There was no person he wished for her to be. He accepted her for who she was. Despite her harsh words and cruel attitude Natsu never saw her as anyone other than Raven. It had been a long time since someone had seen her for who she truly was. In truth it made her smile just a bit.

Her whirlwind thoughts collected. Raven took a breath and unsheathed her sword.

"One last time." She said. "You will come at me. If you cannot hit me with your first strike then I will return you to Ozpin without resistance. Do you understand?"

Natsu wiped away his tears and nodded sternly.

"Whenever you're ready."

Raven prepared herself. She watched carefully as Natsu got into his stance. He slid his left foot back before taking off in a brisk run straight towards her. He drew back his fist. He would be putting his all into this one final strike.

As Natsu inched closer and closer, Raven subtly loosened the grip on her sword. When he pushed his fist forward Raven dropped her sword, allowing Natsu to hit her in the face. She was sent rolling down the dirt path, sliding to a stop some few meters beyond where she originally stood. Realizing what had happened Natsu ran to her side.

"Raven! Raven! Are you ok?!"

She stood up and dusted herself off. Her mask - cracked from the blow - fell to pieces, revealing the small smile on her lips. Natsu was admittedly unnerved by the sight. He had never seen Raven smile so wide before. She looked…happy.

"That was quite the attack."

"You let me hit you."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and her expression returned to normal. "Are you sure that you wish to stay with me? Once you make this decision there is no going back."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure. I don't want to go anywhere."

"Alright." Raven collected her sword from the ground and promptly slashed the air in front of her. A portal radiating a strange red and black energy tore open the space Raven had swung her sword. Natsu was amazed, he'd never seen her do this before.

"Whoa."

Raven reached out to him. Natsu grabbed her hand.

"Where are we going?"

For the second time she smiled. "You'll see when we get there."

With those final words spoken, Raven lead Natsu by the hand into the portal. The door closing behind them.

* * *

 **New chapter! This is it we're coming to the climax of the origin arc. I know a few of you are anxious for me to get to volume 4, but I simply don't work that way. If I rush just to play catch up then the story suffers. I don't want that, and I know you don't want that. So I ask that you be patient. I'll get to volume four soon enough.**

 **Adding character to Raven is pretty hard since we know so little about her. It makes it difficult to separate fact from fanfiction (see what I did there?), but it's a good kind of difficult. It's clear that she has experience a lot of pain in her life, she's not evil (or rather antagonistic) for the sake of it. She's just set in her ways and determined to achieve her goals, even if she has to sacrifice those she cares about. It's a double-edged sword, at least from my perspective. So being stuck with Natsu, someone who is so straight forward that he doesn't even know what restraint means, is a jarring experience for Raven, and she has trouble adjusting to it. Which is what lead to all the internal conflicts. As for Natsu, he simply doesn't want to be abandoned again.**

 **That's just the idea I'm trying to establish in their relationship at this point in the story.**

 **Anyways leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	41. The End of the Beginning

A lone prairie miles north of the city of Vale had been a battlefield for well over two days.

Fire and darkness angrily danced in air as a man dressed in black and woman with eyes like the sun clashed with their very lives on the line.

"Even your power has limits, Maiden."

The man in black taunted his foe, his face twisted in pleasure as he stared into her eyes. She was brimming with power, he could feel it in his bones. A small part of him was frightened at what she could do, but a larger part knew she wasn't experienced enough to succeed.

A cold front set upon the land, but it was the middle of summer. The shift was her doing.

With a deft swing of her arm the Maiden summoned a fierce blizzard that froze the grass and trees around them. The man in black stood his ground, his arms blocking the harsh winds. His arms froze over, but he broke free.

"It will take more than a cool breeze to keep me from my mission." He charged.

The clash shook the ground, scaring a young girl that was watching from afar. She wanted to help, but she was much to afraid to even move from behind the tree she was standing. She bit her lip until it almost bled as her fingers tightened on the bark of the tree.

"Peru."

The Maiden's powers burst forth from her being, getting more and more powerful with each passing second. Her body was close to giving out, but she had to keep going.

She summoned roots from the nearby plants, using them to ensnare her foe.

"This is the end."

The fire in her eyes intensified, the energy crackling around her being. She raised her hand and dark clouds began circling and covering the moon. The winds quickened, and flashes of light brightened the clouds every few seconds. The thunder clapped and the static made the hairs on the man stand on end.

The first bolt of lighting touched down next to him, but he wasn't afraid. When the second bolt fell, he broke free from the roots and rolled away. Blades attached to chains on his wrist flew out, cutting the Maiden in the abdomen. The child watching shrieked in fear as the woman fell to the ground. The clouds disipated.

"You were cocky, maiden."

The man in black stood over her triumphant, his evil smile widening in the light of the moon as he watched her bleed.

"My blades secrete a very potent poison. Similar to that of a scorpion's venom. Even with your abilities you won't last long. Now you will return with me."

He reached down, but was met with a face full of steam. He shouted in pain and backed off, allowing the Maiden to make her escape. She ran to the child and grabbed her by the arm, her hand pressed against her wound as they ran.

"Peru...?!"

"Everything will be fine. Don't worry. Just keep running."

"You cannot hide, Maiden! If I found you once I can do it again!" The man's angered roars echoed throughout the land.

* * *

Somewhere in the vastness of Remnant there is a village. Its name and true location are both unknown to a vast majority of the world. Though the people that inhabit it have been spoken of in hushed rumors and stories throughout seedy bars and back allies for years. These mysterious people have been given many titles. Not all of them flattering. Saboteurs, nomads, thieves, killers, and assassins are some of the nicer ones. The exact name of the community is unknown. They are simply known as "the Tribe".

A young girl with golden brown hair shining in the light of the rising sun carefully entered the opening of a small tent. Her golden brown eyes fell to a bed roll in the back. Well to be more accurate, the lump sticking up from the blanket on the bed roll. She sighed.

 _Is he still sleeping? The sun's coming up._

Approached the bed roll slowly, the girl softly poked the lump.

"Natsu. Wake up."

"Five more minutes." was the muffled groan beneath the blanket.

"Have it your way, but I tried to be nice." The girl grabbed the blanket's edge tightly. With a quick but sturdy yank the blanket unrolled and Natsu fell to the ground with an audible thud.

"Ow~!"

The girl giggled while Natsu rose from the other side of the bed. His nonplussed glare on her, he rubbed the new sore spot on the back of his head.

"I told you to wake up?"

Natsu grumbled something obscene under his breath.

"You know it's not nice to mumble in front of girls, right?"

"Neither is yanking someone out of bed. What do you want anyway, Mocha?"

"Miss Raven is waiting for you in the field."

"Why didn't she come wake me up?"

"Because I wanted to do it." Mocha smiled proudly.

Natsu sighed. "Whatever. Can you get out now? I have to change clothes."

"Fine, Mr. Grumpy Butt." Mocha puffed out her cheeks in a fake pout and exited the tent. "You better not go back to sleep."

"Yeah. Yeah."

Sometime later Natsu made his way to the training field on the outskirts of the village. As usual the wind was fairly high, and since the field itself was upwind there was a constant barrage of air hitting Natsu's face. It made it hard to breathe at times.

He saw Raven standing in the middle of the field. She was facing him, her crimson eyes slightly narrowed behind her mask. It was clear she had been waiting for a while.

"You're late. You really must break that oversleeping habit sooner rather than later." She reached for her sword. "Are you ready to begin?"

Natsu prepared himself for battle. "Yep."

Nearly two years had passed since Natsu had began his journey with Raven. He still remembered the day he ventured beyond that portal with her. On the other side was a lush green village populated by people with very similar looks - as well as attitudes - to his caretaker.

He was afraid at first, everyone looked so intimidating, but Raven assured him that there was nothing to worry about and he would be fine as long as he was with her. Taking her words to heart, Natsu settled somewhat comfortably in his new surroundings in a few months. His training continued, and in time he found himself getting much stronger. He was even able to land blows on Raven when they spared - though they weren't all that effective in the long run.

Natsu rolled on the ground after a kick from Raven. She bared down on him, prepared to strike. Natsu evaded the arc of her blade, kicking the inside of her left knee. Raven buckled breifly, allowing Natsu to follow up with a flaming kick to her abdomen.

Raven slid back, but didn't lose her balance. She patted the flames from her kimono and spit up a bit of blood inside of her mask. Unknown to Natsu she was grinning.

The tribe had lots of rules that Natsu had to follow. Some he didn't like very much, like having to help clean and wash clothes at the end of the day with the other kids, but he still abided by them. If anything else it made him feel like he at least belonged.

Natsu staggered when the hilt of Raven's sword hit the bridge of his nose. Any harder and she would have broken it. His eyes stinging with tears, the young boy was quickly swept off his feet and forced the ground. Before he could blink Raven pointed her sword at his throat.

"My victory."

Natsu pouted and looked away. "Lucky."

Raven sheathed her blade and helped Natsu to his feet.

"You rely on your eyes too much." She said while removing off her mask. "You need to learn to use your other senses when you fight."

"You move too fast for me to smell you, and I'm pretty sure I can't bite you either. So seeing you is all i got." Natsu complained.

Raven snorted. It wasn't quite a laugh, but it was enough to tell Natsu that she was at least amused by his comment.

"Practice is all I can tell you."

"That's the **only** thing you tell me."

"You will thank me for it later. The other children should be getting prepared to clean. Go join them. I'll see you once I'm done speaking with the elder."

"Ok."

* * *

"There you are! We've been waiting forever!"

Mocha linked Natsu's arm and pulled him over to where the other children were. As expected none of them greeted him.

"Would you quit pulling?!" Natsu yanked his arm out of the pushy girl's grip. Mocha saw the bruises on his body and a mischievous grin crept across her face.

"You lost again, huh?"

"Shut up." Natsu looked away, his cheeks red from embarrassment.

Mocha was the only person aside from Raven that talked to Natsu in the Tribe. Like him she was an orphan. Brought to the village by her adoptive mother and father. Despite her circumstance she was a very upbeat and friendly girl that never shied away from speaking her mind when it came to him.

Natsu didn't know why she was so drawn to him though. Perhaps it was because they were both outcasts in the village. Almost everyone looked the same – black hair and red eyes. Natsu's pink locks and Mocha's brown tresses easily made them stand out. Though Mocha never seemed to mind.

"When we're done here I'll patch you up at my house."

"You don't have to do that every time."

"Of course I don't have to. I **want** to." Mocha smiled. "You should really learn to accept a favor when a girl offers."

Natsu's blush deepened.

* * *

The smell of incense weighed heavy in the air around Raven. To most others the aroma would be overpowering, but she had long since accustomed to the atmosphere over the years. Sitting on her knees before an old chair, Raven's eyes were set on her sword and mask - which set a couple of centimeters before her.

An elderly man sat in the chair. He wore a mask similar to Raven's, but his was much more intimidating. The feathers attached at the end flowed down from his head to the ground. His presence was otherworldly. This was the elder of the tribe.

"How is the boy progressing?"

His commanding yet at the same soft timbre exuded his status as leader. He never raised his voice. Never showed the slightest sign of anger or irritation. He spoke slowly and always with purpose. That is how he had gained such trust among his people - including Raven. She kept her head bowed, never once looking at him until she was told to. Just one look into his eyes sent stiffened her spine.

"He gets stronger every day. I would say in a month's time he will be ready to accept a mission."

Since he arrived the Elder had developed an interest in Natsu. Intrigued by the power he held inside, he allowed the boy to stay in the village at Raven's request. Even if he was an outsider, he might prove useful in the future if molded correctly.

"A month is much too long. We will test him now."

"Elder?"

"We've found her. The Fall maiden."

Raven nearly fell over in shock, but remained silent as the Elder continued.

"She has taken refuge in a small village north of Vale. It is roughly a week's journey from our current location, but with your abilities you should be there much quicker. Persuade her to join with us. If you cannot, kill her and will begin the search for the next maiden. Take the boy with you."

"With all due respect, Natsu is nowhere near ready for that sort of assignment. The Maiden's power is-"

"If he is not then that will be made clear during the assignment."

"Y-Yes, Elder. Of course. Forgive my outburst. I will leave immediately."

Raven grabbed her belongings and rose from the ground. With one final bow she started for the exit of the tent.

"Raven."

She stopped when the Elder called to her.

"Do not let your feelings for this boy cloud your judgement. Learn from your mistakes and grow stronger. Our people need a leader not weighed down by regrets and misplaced emotions."

Raven put on her mask. "Yes, Elder." She exited the tent.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"Our destination should be over this ridge."

The finally wind started to calm once Natsu and Raven descended the small hill. Just as she said a village came into view not long after they reached the bottom. It wasn't the biggest place he had been to, but it was still fairly sizable all things considered. All around were people walking, talking, and exchanging goods at various shop stalls. It was a very lively scene.

"So this this 'Fall lady' here?" Natsu asked.

"Fall **Maiden**." Raven corrected. "And yes. Though she doesn't appear to be in town. She might be living on the outskirts."

"How can you tell?"

"Each of the Maiden's exudes an energy from their Aura that affects the environment one way or another. Most people don't notice it since it's usually small climate changes like slight dips or increases in temperature."

Natsu didn't really understand, but he nodded along with what Raven said anyway and tried to pay attention. This was his first mission after all. During his time living among the Tribe he had no idea as to what they exactly did. He assumed it was dangerous work, otherwise they wouldn't be so secluded, but whenever he would ask Raven about it she would promptly shoot down with a "You'll learn soon enough". Well "soon enough" had arrived, and he wasn't very impressed. Was looking for people all there was to it?

"Here."

Raven reached into her kimono sash and handed Natsu a small stack of Lien notes and a scroll.

"That should be enough to get yourself something to eat, but don't over do it. We also need that money for an Inn if we have to stay here longer."

"What are you going to do?"

"Search for the Fall Maiden."

"I'll go too. I can sniff her out."

"How will you do that without her scent?" Natsu had no rebuttal to this. "That is what I thought. I'll contact you on that scroll once I've found her."

Her instructions more or less clear, Raven faded into the crowd, leaving Natsu behind.

"She never lets me do anything fun."

With an irritated frown, Natsu walked through the village in search of something to put in to his grumbling stomach. Thanks to Raven's habit of rationing food he had barely had anything to eat while they travelled. As he perused to various stalls his eyes widened and his mouth flood with saliva. He wanted to eat everything, but he had to be careful. If he spent too much money he wouldn't be able to get a room.

Raven never kept much money on her. She had an uncanny knack for knowing just the exact amount she needed at any given time. It made things efficient, but that also meant Natsu could never pig out on food like he wanted to.

His stomach growing impatient, Natsu decided on two large turkey legs. He looked around for a place to sit and eat, but there were too many people roaming about for him to fully enjoy his meal. Natsu didn't mind crowds much, but he didn't want anyone to knock it away from him, or worse touch it.

"Guess I'll eat outside of town."

Natsu traveled to a small hill outside the village that over looked the horizon. He sat down on the crest, eating his meats as the sun continued to shine. It was early afternoon, so it wouldn't be setting anytime soon. When he finished eating he fell to his back, his arms resting comfortably behind his head.

 _I wonder if Raven found that person yet._

His mind slowly drifting away, flashes of Igneel and his life in Ishgal appeared. It had been a little while since Natsu had thought of his father. He wondered where he was and what he was doing. Had he even noticed that Natsu was gone? If he had why hadn't he come looking for him yet?

Maybe he didn't know where Remnant was. Natsu surely didn't. He assumed it was on the other side of the world. _Maybe Igneel can't fly this far without a ship or something._ _Can dragons even ride ships?_ He thought of Igneel looking for a dragon size ship to take him to Remnant and chuckled.

"Hello?"

 _How long does it take to get from Ishgal to Remnant anyway?_ Since no one he'd met had ever heard of it Natsu assumed it had to be a long time. There weren't any maps for it either. Maybe Ishgal was at the bottom of the planet or something.

"Excuse me."

Natsu's eyes slowly opened. Someone was calling to him. It wasn't Mocha, and it definitely wasn't Raven. His eyes now open, the first thing he noticed was the night sky. The next was a girl standing over him.

"Are you lost?"

The girl stepped back as Natsu sat up in the grass.

"No. I was just taking a nap. I guess I overslept." He waved some blades of grass out of his hair.

"You shouldn't sleep out here. It's not safe. The monsters appear at night."

Natsu stood up and stretched. "You mean Grimm? They aren't really that scary, but I guess you're right. A whole bunch of them would be kind of hard to deal with if I was sleeping." He turned around to get a good look at the girl that woke him up.

He could tell she was little older than him, but she was also a couple of centimeters shorter. At most she came up to his nose. Her brown hair stopped just above her shoulders and her eyes were the same dark color as Mocha's. Her long dress lightly swayed in the night breeze, as did the bread filled wicker basket on her arm. By all accounts she was a very pretty girl.

She reached out to Natsu, pulling out an errant blade of grass that was stuck to his hair.

"You missed one." Her smile made him blush a bit.

"T-thanks."

"Are you staying in town?"

"Kind of. I was supposed to find an inn, but I came out here to take a nap."

"If you like I can take you to one. It's cheap, but it's also very nice."

"Sure. That sounds great."

The girl's smiled widened and she reached out her hand again. "My name is Amber. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Natsu."

* * *

After hours of searching Raven came across a cottage in the middle of a tree covered field a mile or so out fro the village. As she approached the air started to get denser, and the hairs on her neck started to stand on end. There was no mistaking it now. She had found the location of the Fall Maiden.

She had her sword at the ready should she need to use it, but this was just habit. All in all a futile attempt to feel safe. She knew with a flick of her pinky finger the Fall Maiden could reduce her to ash before she could take a breath. That was how powerful she was.

Raven tapped on the door, to her surprise it creaked open.

"It's unlocked?"

She pushed further into the cottage. There was a light coming from the end of the narrow hallway. Raven moved carefully, her feet barely making a sound. If the Maiden was made aware of her presence it would be over. She peeked in the open doorway watching as a young woman with long, braided, brown hair cooked over a gas stove. The aroma wafted its way through Raven's mask and into her nostrils. The smell was crisp. Carrying with it traces of meat, spices, and vegetables.

"Have you come to kill me?"

Raven's eyes widened. She had been found out. Realizing that there was no more use in hiding, Raven stepped into the kitchen, allowing herself to be seen by the maiden. If she was to die she would do it gracefully. She removed her mask, her crimson eyes holding within them a look of respect.

"No. I haven't."

"A shame." The young lady turned off the fire. "Would you care for something to eat? It seems I grew careless and made extra."

Raven looked to the table. There were four sets of fish, soup, and rice. Despite her words it was clear the Maiden was expecting company. Raven obliged and sat down, but she did not partake in the food. The Maiden sat in the seat across from her.

"Not hungry?"

Her tone was soft, but carried with it so much weight. It reminded Raven of the Elder in a way. A person who commanded respect, but also exuded a warmth that calmed others.

"No. My guess is that you are the Fall Maiden."

The young woman nodded slightly. "I am, but I never really liked that name. Call me Peru. That was the name I was born with." Her smile put Raven at a sort of ease.

"As you wish...Peru."

"That's better. Now why have you come all this way? You say you're not here to kill me so I'm curious, Miss…"

"Raven. Raven Branwen."

"That's a pretty name. Why have you sought me out, Miss Branwen?"

"I have come to request your aid."

"In what I may ask?"

"There is a darkness coming. One that threatens to be as terrible as the Great War. Surely you've felt it."

"I can say that I have."

"My allies and I wish for your support."

"By allies…do you mean the mysterious 'Tribe'?" Raven's eyes slightly widened in surprise, but the Maiden remained calm. She poured herself a cup of tea. "I met one of your people not too long ago. Though I must say he was much polite than you are. When I refused his offer he tried using force to change my mind. A shame we could not reach a compromise."

Raven watched calmly Peru sip her tea. She needn't say anything else. It was clear as day what happened to Raven's comrade.

 _Fool._ She thought. _Provoking a Maiden in such a manner. He deserved his death._

"I will tell him the same thing I told you. I am not interested in becoming a pawn in the world's power struggle."

Raven slowly reached for her sword.

"But…"

Raven's hand stopped just above her sword's hilt.

"The circumstances are...different now."

"How so?"

"Before I simply saw no merit in joining an organization to further their agenda, and I still don't; but now it seems I no longer have much of a choice."

"I don't understand."

Peru placed her cup of tea on the table. She looked ahead, her dark eyes staring directly into Raven's soul. "I am dying."

* * *

Natsu and Amber stood in front of a small building in the middle of town. The sign at the top simply read "Inn". There was nothing particularly special from outward appearances. It was just like Amber said. The place looked cheap.

"Are you here with your parents?"

"No. I'm with…I guess you could call her my older sister."

"Where is she now?"

"Working. We came here looking for someone. The 'Fall Lady' or whatever."

Amber's eyes shot open. "The Fall Maiden…" she uttered.

"Yeah! Her! Do you know where she is?"

Amber slowly stepped away from Natsu. Her body was quaking, her eyes wide with terror.

"What's wrong?" When Natsu reached to her, she suddenly ran off. "Amber, where are you going?! Wait up!"

Natsu forgot about securing a room and ran after Amber. It was dark, and just like she said earlier the Grimm would no doubt be out in full force.

Amber ran out of time as fast as her legs could carry her. _I have to get home!_ She fretted. _Peru! I have to make sure Peru is safe!_

Not watching her footing, Amber tripped over the root of a tree, spilling the bread in her basket all over the ground.

"Amber! Where are you?!"

Amber quickly got up and took off running again. She couldn't let Natsu find her. For all she knew he was simply a distraction so his partner could do away with Peru. She soon bumped into an obstacle. She fell on her butt, her heart racing as her eyes fell on the shining white of a Grimm mask. She tried to get up, but her body wouldn't obey her commands. She was frozen. The monster loomed closer.

"Amber!" Natsu burst out of the brush, on instinct she latched onto him to hide from the creature. Natsu prepared for a fight, but when he saw the "monster" he relaxed and smiled. "Oh. Hey, Raven."

Amber was stunned. _Raven? He's friend with a Grimm?_

"Why are you out here? I told you to look for us a room."

Again Amber found herself shocked. The Grimm could talk?!

"I did, but Amber ran away so I followed her. I didn't want the Grimm to find her. What are doing out here? Did you find the lady?"

"I did. Follow me."

"Ok."

Natsu turned to Amber and smiled. "Don't worry. I know she looks scary, but she's actually a nice person." He held out his hand, and after a moment's hesitation Amber took it. If anything they would bring her back to her sister.

When the trio arrived at the cottage in the middle of the forest she snatched her hand away from Natsu and ran in.

"Peru! Peru!"

She ran to the kitchen, surprised to see the young woman in question calmly sipping from a cup of tea.

"Now, now, Amber, there's no need to yell. I'm right here."

Amber breathed a sigh of relief, but when she saw Natsu and Raven enter behind her she quickly hid behind Peru.

"Don't be rude, Amber. These two are our guests."

Raven took off her mask, allowing Amber to finally see her face. She was beautiful, but Amber was still frightened by her intense stare and red eyes.

"This woman is Raven, and by the looks of it you've already met her young companion. They will be staying with us for a couple of days. Can you prepare the guest room for them?"

"O-ok."

With a reluctant nod, Amber walked out of the kitchen to the second bedroom down the hall.

"Go with her." Raven said to Natsu.

"Alright."

When the children were gone Peru started cleaning the dishes. Suddenly she began violently coughing, prompting Raven to move to her side.

"Are you alright." She helped Peru to the couch at the far end of the room.

"I'm fine. Just a mild spasm." Peru looked into her palm. There were drops of blood.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Peru nodded. "The man that was hunting me will be here soon. I can feel it. I have to hold on until then."

Raven didn't say anything. She could tell Peru was forcing herself onward, but she couldn't help but respect her resolve as a warrior.

Peru walked back to the sink. "Help me wash the dishes will you?"

"As you wish."

* * *

The days seemed to pass rather quickly. Before Raven and Natsu knew it, nearly a week had passed since they decided to keep watch over Amber and Peru without incident. It was tense at first, but the four managed to make the most out of the sudden arrangement with little difficulty.

It wouldn't be long before Peru's time was up. As she told Raven, a couple of days before they arrived, Peru ran afoul of man named Obsidian. An aggressive fellow, he introduced himself as a disciple of the woman known as Salem. She desired the powers of the Fall Maiden, and had sent Obsidian to collect her prize.

After a fierce struggle that lasted days, Peru was mortally wounded - as well as poisoned - by her pursuer and forced into hiding. If it weren't for her abilities as a Maiden she would have succumbed to the effects long before now. At times the pain was so unbearable that she could hardly stand, but she pushed through it. If only so she could continue taking care of her younger sister. Though how long could this peace last.

Raven watched as Peru toiled away in the garden. Planting new seeds and picking the ripened fruit from the vines. Each new plant she treated like a newborn child, carefully cradling and caring for it until it was time to be picked.

"Your skills are impressive."

"Thank you, but it's not really anything special. Spring is a much better gardener than I. She can be a tad on the grumpy side though. I think she likes plants more than people."

"Do you know the other maidens?"

"I wouldn't be a good Fall Maiden if I didn't. I've only met them a handful of times, but I'm comfortable enough to call them friends."

"I assume you won't tell me where they are located."

"You assume correct." Peru stood up and wiped the sweat from her brow. "Even I did know where the other three maidens are I wouldn't tell you for obvious reasons. I trust you understand that."

Raven nodded. "Yes."

Peru looked to the sun. It wouldn't be long before it set. "The children should return from shopping pretty soon. It would be best to start dinner before they return. Tell me, Raven, do you cook?"

"I wouldn't classify myself as a chef if that's what you're asking."

Peru chuckled. "Always the dry humor with you. You must be a hit among men…or do you fancy women?"

Raven ignored Peru's teasing stare. "Romance is not something I take much stock in."

"Of course it isn't. Come on. The food won't make itself. What a sight it would be though."

A small grin tugged at Raven's lip as she followed Peru inside.

* * *

Natsu followed Amber through the village, his arms getting heavy under the weight of the bags on them. The mission given to him today was to help Amber shop for food and other amenities. He had no idea should would be buying so much of each though. He thought they had enough stuff.

"Are you ok?" asked Amber, she had brought him another bag.

"Yeah." He strained, reaching out his arm so Amber could place the bag . "I'm fine. What's next?"

"Just dinnerware and we should be done. I'm sorry for weighing you down with so many bags. Since Peru is still sick I've had to do all of the shopping myself. It really helps to have someone else with me."

"Glad to help."

Natsu dragged himself behind Amber for the remainder of the day. Before they knew it the sun has started to set.

"We should head back. Peru and Miss Raven are probably waiting for us."

"Alright."

The two kids started back home. It was quiet for a little while, that is until they reached the village edge.

"Is Raven really your older sister?"

"Huh?" Amber's sudden question caught Natsu off-guard.

"It's just that you two don't look alike at all. So I wanted to know if you were actually related."

"Oh. No. Raven's not really my sister, she's just been taking care of me for a while so it's just easier to call her that I guess."

"How did you meet her?"

"I fell out of a hole in the sky."

Amber stopped in her tracks. She faced Natsu, her brow raised in confusion. "I'm sorry. Did you say you 'fell out of the sky'?"

"Yep. I was found by this guy named Ozpin. He's the pripipal of this school in Vale."

"I think you mean 'principal'."

"Yeah that. Anyway he found me and I stayed at the school for a few months until I met Raven. I've been with her since then."

Amber was skeptical of Natsu's story – more specifically the part about him falling from the sky – but he didn't seem like the type to lie about something like that. He had also mentioned Professor Ozpin - who Amber had met a couple of times along with Peru - but he was famous enough where his name could be said by almost anyone. Nonetheless, while still wary, Amber decided to not question him further and just go along with it.

"What about you? Where are your mom and dad?" asked Natsu.

"My parents died when I was young. For the longest time it's only been Peru and I."

"Oh…" Natsu felt bad for bringing up bad memories. "Sorry."

"It's ok. You didn't know." Amber then grabbed Natsu's hand and started to move faster. "Let's hurry back."

"Yeah."

As the two children rushed towards the cottage, an ominous figure watched them from afar.

"I've finally found you."

* * *

When Natsu and Amber entered the cottage they could smell the inviting aroma of dinner coming from the kitchen. They say Raven and Peru waiting for them inside, the former sitting at the table while the latter finished up at at the oven.

"Welcome back." Peru said. "How was shopping?"

"Long." Natsu groaned. "He placed all of the bags on the table."

"Well it's nice having a big strong man around the house for a change."

Natsu blushed and sat down next to Raven. "What did you do today?"

"Gardening?"

"How was that?"

"...Enlightening."

"I'll help set the table." Amber grabbed the plates from the counter.

"Thank you." Peru smiled. "That will give me time to put the finishing touches on the cake."

Natsu's eyes widened. "There's cake?!"

"There is. I figured we all deserved a little treat for all of our hard work over the past few days."

Natsu tugged on Raven's sleeve. "We're getting cake, Raven!"

"I heard. Stop yelling. Besides, I don't eat cake."

"I do appreciate your help in making it though." Peru commented.

"All I did was gather the ingredients. You did all of the baking."

"Help is help."

"Thank you, Miss Raven."

The stoic warrior sighed upon looking down at Amber's bright smile. "You're welcome."

Peru set the finished cake in the middle of the table. "Now let's eat!"

As dinner commenced, Raven - who was steady preventing Natsu from eating any cake until he finished his meal - couldn't help but feel a little bit uneasy. Ever since Natsu and Amber had returned home she had felt an ominous presence hanging in the air around them all. Something wasn't right.

"Is something wrong, Raven?"

Peru felt the same thing Raven did, but she called no attention to before now for the children's sake. Raven rose from her.

"I'm going to get some air."

"Raven?" Natsu called.

"Stay here. I'll be back soon."

Natsu nodded and Raven left, putting her mask as she exited the room. Peru, noticing Natsu and Amber's worried expressions, gathered their attention with a clap of her hands.

"Let's play a game shall we? How about 'The Great War'? I'll be Vale."

* * *

Raven stood just outside the front door. The moon overhead gave a fair enough view of her surroundings, but she saw nothing that reflected the uneasiness in her stomach. She could feel someone's eyes watching her in the darkness, but where were they? Whoever was out there had melted into the darkness and completely concealed their presence.

Raven kept a firm grip on her blade. The pressure she felt slowly got heavier and heavier. Suddenly a set of dark blue eyes opened in the darkness. A wave of dark energy broke from the trees. Raven ran back inside as fast as she could.

"Everyone get down!"

"Raven, what's-"

Raven grabbed Natsu and dove to the ground, Peru did the same with Amber without so much as a word. The wave of black energy that followed Raven sliced through the air with precision, obliterating the top half of the cottage in one fluid motion.

"What's going on?! That house!"

"Stay down!"

"Peru!"

"It's ok, Amber. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

When the rubble settled and the dust cleared, the four finally stood again.

"Are you alright?" Raven asked Natsu.

The boy patted himself down. "Yeah. I'm ok. What was that?"

"What about you, Amber? Are you ok?" Peru asked as she hurriedly checked her sister over for any signs of injuries.

"I-I'm ok." Amber nodded. She was afraid. "What's happening, Peru?"

"Fall Maiden!"

Raven and Peru pushed the children behind them. From the tress walked a man of considerable size. His sinister smile shined in the moonlight as he drew closer. Amber's heart raced in fright. This was the same man that injured her sister.

"How long did you think you could run from me?"

"Natsu, take Amber and leave. Now." Raven ordered.

"But, Raven, I can help-"

"Do not argue with me. Just take her and escape as fast as you can."

With a heavy heart he grabbed Amber and ran out of the destroyed house.

"Natsu, let me go! We can't leave them!"

Peru smiled at her sister for what felt like the last time. "Just leave with Natsu. Don't worry. Everything will be ok."

"Peru~!"

Peru and Raven focused on Obsidian once the children were safely away. The menacing man cracked his knuckles, he could feel his blood pumping from the rush of what was sure to be another fierce battle against the Fall Maiden. Raven slowly unsheathed her sword. Peru's eyes started to glow.

"Are you able to fight in your condition?" Raven asked.

Peru grinned ruefully. "Even if I wasn't it seems that I don't have a much of a choice. I am the Fall Maiden after all. One of my duties is to purge this world of evil."

"You, tribe girl." Obsidian pointed to Raven. "I've no quarrel with you. Leave now and I'll spare your life."

"If I wanted kindness from an ape I'd visit the zoo." Raven shot back.

Obsidian couldn't help but be amused by her remark. "Very well. I've always wanted to face one of your kind. Come at me."

"Watch for the claws on his hands." Peru warned. Raven saw the sharpened silver claws attached to chains on Obsidian's arms. She surmised that hose were the administers of the poison.

"Noted."

Raven and Peru slowly circled their enemy. Raven knew she had to tread carefully, anyone who could injure a Maiden to such a degree was no to be taken lightly. She prepared to charge, but the moment she blinked Obsidian was on her.

 _He's fast!_

He grabbed Raven by the collar of her kimono and threw her to the ground. Blood forced its way from her throat, dripping out of the mouth of her mask. Raven swung her sword. It grazed Obsidian's skin, but left no marks.

His skin is too hard. I can't cut it!

When Obsidian raised his blades, a flash of fire finally separated him from Raven. Peru flew into the fray, her eyes glowing with maiden's power. She helped Raven to her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"His semblance allows him to harden his skin. It makes him nigh invulnerable."

"I noticed. What is the plan?"

"I'll pull his focus and you keep trying to cut into him. He has to tire sometime."

Peru chased down Obsidian. From behind her back she grabbed two pentagram shaped chakram. She threw one. It missed. Obsidian charged ahead, his large arm raised. Raven met him, but once again her sword couldn't cut though his defense.

Obsidian swatted Raven away and forced Peru to the ground. He gripped her neck tightly, relishing in her attempts to fight him as she gasped for air. "It's useless to struggle, Maiden. The poison has made you weak. You will be taken back to Mistress whether you like it or not."

Raven tried to stand, but her muscles were numb from the shock of Obsidians last blow. It took everything she had just to stand.

Natsu and Amber watched from the trees as their guardians fought for their lives. Natsu desperately wanted to help Raven, but even he knew that he was no match for the beast they were facing. What could he do?

"I'm going!"

Amber tried to leave, but Natsu quickly snatched her back into the bushes.

"No! If you go out there he'll kill you. They told us to run away."

"Are you really ok with that?"

"No. I want to help, but that guy is too strong for us. We'll only get in their way if we go out there. Raven always told me that you shouldn't run into a fight that you know you can't win."

"Please, Natsu." Amber started to tear up. "Peru's the only family I have left, I don't want her to die. Please. We have to help them."

The tears of a girl were all Natsu needed to sway his opinion. He was still very much afraid of what Raven would do to him than for disobeying her, and he was also afraid of what Obsidian would do to him if he were caught, but he wanted to help Amber. He could worry about the consequences later. Moving swiftly, Natsu grabbed Amber and moved close to Raven.

"Raven."

"Natsu? What are you doing here?" Raven used the tree behind herself to rise to her feet. "I told you to take Amber away from here. Leave now."

Amber poked her head from the bushes. "Please, Miss Raven, let us help."

"No. We will handle this. You'd only get in the way."

Natsu prepared to retort when he heard the sound of thunder clapping in the sky. Dark clouds shrouded the moon and scattered lights flashed in the night air.

Obsidian looked up with a smirk. "If you strike me you risk injuring yourself as well."

"I will take that chance." Peru's eyes flashed and a column of lighting struck her attacker, the current ran through her as well. Obsidian howled in agony, but he remained attached to Peru. One after another lighting struck Obsidian as if her were a rod. Peru endured the pain, feeling as his grip slowly loosened.

"This will be the last time I tell you. Leave." Raven sliced a portal into the tree behind her, and fell into it. To Natsu's surprise Amber jumped after her.

"Amber!" The portal closed.

Raven's exit opened next to Peru. She grabbed her and moved away from the stunned Obsidian. Amber emerged soon after, but found herself grabbed by enraged man.

"No…Amber…" Peru rasped.

Raven clicked her teeth in annoyance. She was careless. Raven helped Peru to her feet. It was clear the Maiden was at her limit. She could barely see straight and if it weren't for Raven she wouldn't even be able to stand. The poison was seeping deeper and deeper into her body. Add in her exhaustion and there was no way she could fight anymore. The battle was over for her.

"Let me go!" Amber flailed wildly in Obsidian's clutches.

"What will it be, Maiden?" Obsidians body was covered in burns from the lightning and his breathing was rough. He was most likely at the end of his rope as well, but his sinister smirk ensured that he knew he had the upper hand. "This will be the last time I ask. Come with me, or I kill the girl."

"No, Peru! You can't!"

"Quiet!" Obsidian yelled at Amber. "What will it be, Maiden? Will your pride result in the death of your precious sister?"

After a moment to think Peru weakly stepped away from Raven. "Ok. You win. I will go with you. Just don't harm the girl."

"Peru!"

"Are you sure about this?" Raven asked.

The Fall Maiden nodded with an incredulous smile. "I am. There is no point to this if Amber is harmed."

Raven let Peru go and let her walk to Obsidian. When she was about halfway, he threw Amber to the ground. Peru ran to her sister's side.

"Are you hurt?"

"Why do you have to go with him?!" Amber cried. She could no longer fight back her tears. As they streamed down her face, her sister smiled just as she always did.

"I know things look rough now, but I promise you they will get better." She placed her hand on the top of Amber's head. "Have faith."

"That's enough of that drivel." Obsidian snatched Peru by the arm and held her close. "It's time to face your destiny, Maiden. But first…" Obsidian pointed his weapon towards Amber.

"What are you doing?!" Peru demanded. "You said you wouldn't hurt her!"

"I said kill. I never agreed to not harming her. I just want to give her something to remember me by."

Amber was too scared to run away, and Peru was too weak to fight. Raven started to move, when a ball of fire hit Obsidian in the back. He whipped around in anger, seeing Natsu standing with smoke rising out of his mouth.

"You little bastard! I'll-"

A blade sliced through the air. Obsidian tasted faint traces of metal on his tongue. Blood. His heartbeat began to slow, and his body started to get cold. His vision of Natsu blurred. _What's happening?_ He felt a pain in his chest and looked down. Sticking out from of Peru's chest – and by extension his – was a blade coated in blood.

"H…how…?" He slowly turned his head. Raven was standing behind him. It was her sword that entered his back.

"Your semblance allows you to harden your body, but you need to concentrate to maintain it. The Maiden's lightning affected your brain as well as your body. I doubt you could change again if you wanted to. It seems I was the fortunate one on this day."

"You…damn…tribesman."

Obsidian let go of Peru and fell to the ground like a stone, his last breath an apology to his mysterious master. Raven removed her sword from his body and whisked the blood onto the grass before sheathing it. Natsu joined up with her.

"Is he dead?" Natsu was almost afraid to ask, he had never seen a freshly dead body before. Igneel had always told him that it was wrong to take a life without a very good reason. Was this a good reason? Natsu wanted to think so, but he couldn't help but think there was also another way to resolve this.

"Sometimes killing is the only way to secure survival. Even if the person that has to die is another human. Remember that." Raven's words were as cold and emotionless as were her eyes. It was clear this wasn't the first time she had done something like this.

"Peru! Peru, wake up!"

Next to Obsidian in the grass was Peru. She had the same hole in her chest as his. As Raven watched Amber desperately try to awake her sister, she remembered the promise she made to Peru on the first night.

"If there is a situation in which it looks like I will be captured, I want you to kill me without hesitation. Once I'm dead Amber will become the next Fall Maiden. She may not accept it at first, but I want you and Natsu to take care of her."

"Did you have to kill Amber's sister too?"

Raven didn't provide Natsu with an answer.

"I don't like this kind of job." he said.

"Neither do I."

Peru coughed up blood. Everything hurt, and it was nearly impossible to breathe; but through it all she smiled. "Don't cry, Amber. It will be alright."

"Stop saying that! You're dying! How is that ok?!"

"If Raven hadn't done what she did, the poison inside me would have done the deed just as soon."

"We can find a doctor! We can still save you!"

Peru placed her hand on her crying sister's cheek. It hurt her to see her cry, but she had to be strong. She had to be able to bear the weight of the responsibility that would be thrust upon her. "There is no saving me. It's my time, little sister. I knew this day was coming the moment I accepted this power."

"I don't understand! Why did it have to be you?! Why do you have to be the Fall Maiden if it meant you were going to die?! It's not fair!"

"I'm sorry, Amber." Peru started to cry as well. "I'm so sorry that you have to shoulder this burden. It was selfish and irresponsible of me to force it onto you. This is the last thing I wanted for you, but I need you to be strong. I also need you to make me a promise."

Amber grabbed her sister's hand. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that no matter what hardships may come your way, no matter what challenges you face, you will always smile. Never lose it. Use it to protect yourself, and those around you. Can you promise me that?"

Amber didn't understand what her sister meant, but she nodded anyway. "I promise."

"Good. Now let me see your smile one last time."

Amber wiped away her tears, and somehow mustered the strength for a big smile.

"Good…girl. I...love...you..." Slowly Peru's grip weakened. When Amber released her hand it limply fell to the ground. The thud might as well have been a crash, for Amber felt her heart sink right into her stomach at the same speed as her sister's arm.

"Peru? Peru…wake up."

Amber shook her sister, her eyes once again stinging with tears as she called her name louder.

"Peru, please wake up. Don't leave me alone, Peru...Peru!"

Raven and Natsu watched in silence as Amber cried over her sister's body. Beneath the surface the masked tribesman felt a hint of sadness. Though Peru had asked her to do this, Raven was still having trouble coming to terms with her decision. How could a maiden be so willing to sacrifice herself for people she would probably never even meet? How could she leave that burden on the shoulders of a child. It was unfathomable. She looked to Natsu. His expression was unreadable.

"Natsu-"

"Can we go home now?"

"Right." Raven nodded and walked to Amber. She pulled her to her feet. "That's enough. Your sister did not sacrifice herself so you could cry like a baby."

"Let me go!"

"Your sister and I made a pact. The moment she died you would be placed in my care. We must leave now before allies of the man who attacked her arrive."

"No!" Amber snatched her away and ran back to Peru's body. "I don't care what she said! I'm staying here! I'm not going with you! You killed my sister! You're a murderer!"

"Amber, it's not that sim-"

A sharp howl pierced the night sky, sending a chill down the children's spine.

"What was that?" Natsu asked.

"Grimm." Raven answered. "The're responding to the negative emotions in the area. We have to go now!"

"I'm not going!" Amber protested.

"Raven!"

Natsu pointed to the trees. A horde of Grimm appeared from the darkness their red eyes glowing in the night. Beowolves, Creeps, Boarbatusks, and Ursai all surrounded the trio. There had to be at least fifty of them in total.

 _I don't have the strength to fight them all, and I don't have enough energy to make another portal._

She looked to the children, Amber was still weeping over Peru's body, but Natsu was ready to fight.

"What are we going to do? There's tons of them."

"We have to find a way through. There are too many to fight."

"Can't you just make that freaky door thing and get us out?"

"I don't have the energy."

"Go away…" Amber's words were hushed, but Natsu and Raven were still able to hear them. "All of you…" when she looked up her eyes were glowing, just like Peru's. The Maiden's power had been transferred. Unaware of what was happening, Natsu ran to her.

"Amber-"

"Natsu, stay back!"

"Go awa~y!"

A powerful burst of light erupted from Amber's body and spread throughout the area. In the glow and fire the Grimm were incinerated instantly, while Natsu and Raven were sent flying back into the rapidly destroyed forest. Natsu crashed through the debris, his body unwittingly absorbing the energies that Amber expelled. The pain was indescribable, he could feel his mind pulling itself apart at the seams. Eventually all he saw was white.

* * *

The rays of the morning sun roused Raven awake some few hours later. Her ears were ringing, her mask was broken to pieces, and her body was numb, but she could still see what was ahead of her.

Three women. One dressed in green, another dressed in white, and the third dressed in red. They circled around Peru and Amber, the latter lying unconscious over the deceased former.

"Who…?"

Raven's rasp was heard by by the woman in white. "You're awake. You needn't fear us. We don't mean to cause you unrest. We are simply here to collect the Fall Maiden."

"The Fall Maiden?" At once Raven realized who these women were. "You're…the other Maidens."

"Nothing gets past you does it?"

"Spring."

The woman in green was quickly chided by her companion in red.

"We will be taking young Amber and her sister." Said the Winter Maiden.

"No." Raven gingerly rose to her feet, using her sword as a makeshift cane. "The Fall Maiden and I had an agreement. Upon her death Amber is to be taken into my care."

"I understand the circumstances, but unfortunately the former Fall Maiden was in no position to make a deal of such magnitude. Her successor will be trained and looked after by us, as she should be."

Raven raised her sword. "You will have to defeat me if you wish to take her." This was merely a bluff. Raven had no strength left to fight. It took the remainder of her energy to stand.

The Spring Maiden sighed roughly. With a wave of her hand roots rose from the ground and trapped Raven.

"What is this?! Release me! Now!"

"You really aren't in a position to be making demands here, Human. You're lucky we didn't kill you on the spot for what you did to Fall." Spring's eyes narrowed, causing the roots to tighten around Raven's neck.

"Spring! That's enough!"

At Winter's call, Spring released her Raven. Raven fell to her knees in the grass, gasping for air.

"Thank you for aiding Fall in her final moments." In a shocking sight, the Winter Maiden bowed before Raven. Summer as well as a reluctant Spring followed suit. "You need not worry. Amber will be safe with us. We owe at least that much to our fallen sister."

With a wave of the Summer Maiden's hand, the three as well as Peru and Amber vanished in a bright ball of light.

"Dammit!" Raven cursed her weakness. "How could I be so careless? They brushed me off without a second thought." Realizing there was nothing more she could do. Raven slowly rose to her feet and started searching for Natsu. She found him unconscious a few feet into the burned forest. His body was riddled with cuts and other marks from the blast, but he was breathing - he was alive. And that was all that mattered to Raven.

She picked him up, carrying him in her arms as she opened the portal that would take them both home.

* * *

Raven watched Natsu while he slept. For days she had waited for him to wake up, but there was no change in his condition since they returned to the village. While Mocha would visit periodically to relieve her, most of Raven's time was spent alone in the hut watching over her charge. It had been almost a week and Natsu hadn't so much as shuffled on the bed roll. Raven was starting to get worried.

According to the Tribe's healer, the blast caused Natsu to experience severe brain trauma. It would be a miracle if he could even function normally after his ordeal - and that was even if he managed to wake up. This diagnosis struck Raven as curious. How was she more or less well from the same blast that put Natsu in a coma? Was it due to his unique physiology? The healer seemed to think so.

"Miss Raven?"

Mocha entered the hut for the third time that day.

"He's still sleeping."

Mocha grabbed the wooden stool from the desk and sat at Natsu's bedside. "Will he wake up today?"

"Only time will tell."

"…Can I stay here until he does?"

"What of your parents?"

"They said its fine as long as I don't neglect my other duties."

"Then stay as long as you like."

Mocha managed to smile, albeit briefly. "Thank you."

Another week passed by with no improvement. Just as Mocha and Raven were at their wits end, they heard a soft groan. The pair silently watched as Natsu finally opened his eyes. The boy slowly rose from bed, his hand pressed against his temple.

"What happened?" his throat was dry, and his voice hoarse. "Where am I?"

"We're back in the village. Mocha."

"Right." At Raven's order, Mocha swiftly filled a mug with water and gave it to Natsu to drink.

"Drink slowly." Raven instructed. "You don't want to choke. How are you feeling? Any pain or discomfort?"

"Yeah? Are you ok, Natsu?" Mocha asked. Her voice was much more worried than Raven's.

"I'm ok." The boy replied. "I kind of have a headache though."

"I'll go get the healer." Mocha sped out the hut.

"You were sleeping for over a two weeks." Raven told the boy. "We were beginning to think you would never wake up."

"I have a question."

"What is it? Do you wish to know what happened to Amber? Don't worry. She's fine. The Maiden's came for her and-"

"I don't know who that is and what's a 'Maiden'?" Natsu replied. Raven was confused, but that soon changed to horror after the next words from Natsu's mouth.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

* * *

Solitas was a cold land. Located north of Vale, the continent was known far and wide for is nigh inhospitable climate. Even so, the kingdom of Atlas managed to become the most technologically advanced knigdom in all of Remnant.

Raven never liked coming to Solitas – and by extension Atlas. She wasn't much of a fan of cold climates, but her real problem was with how Atlas was run. The government was as cold as the land it stood on, exerting its iron grip on the people by stymieing their creativity and self-expression. Nearly every person was a robot; only designed to follow the rules of the military that "protected" them from the Grimm and other invaders.

To an extent it worked, but in all it was really just a farce. Those in power only wished to stay that way. It didn't matter how many of the people suffered beneath their boot heels.

Raven looked over her shoulder to Natsu. He had been sleeping since they left the village some two days ago. Per the Elder's order he was to be expelled from the village for he had become a liability. Raven tried to plead his case, but the blame was also hers to share since she had brought an outsider to the village. Her choice was to either see to his expulsion, or kill him. The choice wasn't hard. She wouldn't kill Natsu, but she didn't want him to go either. Maybe that was the problem. She had become to attached. This is exactly what she feared. She chose to bring him to an orphanage in Atlas that was run by an old acquaintance.

Even if she hated the country, Raven knew that this was the safest place she could leave Natsu outside of the village. Here he would be far away from Ozpin and Salem's war, and more importantly he would be away from **her**. Maybe finally he could have a chance at a normal life.

On the outskirts of Mantle – the kingdom's largest city – stood the orphanage that Raven had been searching for. The children housed there were those who were either orphaned due to Grimm attacks, or because of their parent's work in the dust mines owned by the Schnee Dust Company. In fact the SDC owned a good amount of the orphanage. A half-assed attempt at an apology for the problems they caused over the years. The Schnees were another piece of the puzzle that showed Raven's hate for Atlas, but she was not here for them.

Her cold fingers rapped the large wooden door of the orphanage. When it opened, a woman with long silver hair and a black dress stood on the other side.

"Yes? How may I…Raven?"

"Ivory."

"Come in. Come in. It's been so long."

Ivory Jasmine - like Verdant - was an old classmate of Raven's from her time in Beacon. Originally from Atlas, she attended Beacon to see the world and explore outside of her own kingdom. She worked at the orphanage in order to give the children there a place where they felt they belonged, something she didn't have as an orphan. Some days it was hard, but the smiles the children displayed made the work more than worth it for her.

"Would you like some tea?"

"No I will not be staying long."

"I see." Ivory sat in the chair across from the sofa where Raven was seated. She had brought her to the orphanage's main office. All around were pictures of the children currently in the orphanage, as well as those pictures that had been adopted. It was a reminder that the place was actually fulfilling its goal and going some good.

"I want you to take care of this child. His name is Natsu." Raven wasted no time explaining the reasoning for her visit.

Ivory looked down to the boy in question. His head was nestled comfortably on Raven's lap as he slept.

"I don't mind, but may I ask why? You seem rather attached to him."

Raven quickly removed her hand from Natsu's head. "My feelings are irrelevant. He can no longer stay with me. It's much too dangerous."

"What does he think about all of this?"

"It doesn't matter. Will you take him?"

Ivory thought on this. Normally she would never turn down the opportunity to take in a misplaced child, but this boy, Natsu, was another matter altogether. She could see the apprehension in Raven's eyes. It was clear she didn't want to give him up.

"Are you sure this is what you want? Once I take him that will be it. If a family adopts him I cannot deny them."

"That's fine. Anyone else would be a much better guardian than I. I'll be leaving now." Raven carefully placed Natsu's head on a pillow. She then reached into her kimono and handing to Ivory what looked to be a piece of candy. "When he wakes up give him this."

"Candy?"

"It's a medicine. Once he eats it, he will forget all about me."

"Where did you get something like this? I can't in good conscience-"

"Please, Ivory. It will be better if he is able to live life as a normal boy. He can't do that if he spends his life trying to seek me out."

With a heavy sigh Ivory accepted the medicine. "Ok. I'll do it, but I want you to know that I don't agree with this. At all."

"Noted." Raven ran her fingers thorough Natsu's hair one final time. "Good bye, Natsu." She then bowed before Ivory. "Thank you."

"Take care, Raven."

With those final words spoken, Raven left the orphanage...and Natsu behind. Once she was outside she transformed and flew away. As Ivory watched her, Natsu started to stir awake.

"Where am I?"

Ivory knelt down to his level. "Hello, Natsu." She smiled. "My name is Ivory. Did you have a good rest?"

Natsu rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. I guess. Where's Raven?"

Ivory's smile slowly faded. "You must be hungry. How about some candy before dinner?"

* * *

The days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and those months soon turned into a year. Natsu had come to terms with his place in the orphanage. The meals were good, the other children and staff were nice, and he was well taken care of as long as he followed the rules – which he more or less did. But even with all of this love and affection from those around him, Natsu could not help but feel something was missing from his heart.

Just how did he get to the orphanage? He couldn't remember. Perhaps he had always been here. Although that line of thinking didn't feel quite right. Someone had brought him, but he couldn't remember them at all. Whenever he got close, his head would be overcome with a severe pain. Whenever he asked Ivory about it, she would always say she found him outside of the orphanage when he was a baby. He felt she was lying, but due to his missing memories he could never prove it. This feeling of loss instilled a bitterness in young Natsu. Just why was he left behind?

"Natsu! Could you come to the office, please?!"

Natsu finished cleaning the one of the dining tables and entered the main office. Next to the Head Mistress' desk stood Ivory, but he was much more interested in who was in front of them. Standing before The Head Mistress and Ivory were a very well dressed man and woman. The man had black hair, whose graying temples made Natsu think of salt and pepper, while the woman next to him had silky white hair tied in an elegant bun.

Natsu had seen them before on TV. The man was Jacques Schnee, head of the Schnee Dust Company and contributor to the orphanage. The woman was his wife. Natsu had met and talked to the woman before over the past couple of days. She was nice enough, but he never met her husband before now. He was sort of intimidating.

He gave Natsu a brief glance. "This is the boy?"

"Yes, Mr. Schnee." The Head Mistress said. "Natsu is one of our older children. He hasn't been here very long, but he is a very well behaved boy. Just as your wife may have told you. I trust you have the documents from the social worker?"

"Yes. Yes. They're all here." Jacques placed a folder on the desk with said documents inside.

"Natsu." Ivory waved the boy over.

"What's happening?" he whispered.

"If everything goes well you these people will be your new family. Isn't that wonderful? Children rarely get adopted their first year, even rarer that they get adopted by someone famous."

Natsu looked to Jacques' wife. When she smiled and waved at him he looked to Ivory.

"I don't want to leave."

"What?" Ivory was surprised. "Why not? You should be happy to have a home."

"I already have one. I like it here. I don't want to be abandoned again."

"Oh, Natsu." Ivory hugged him close. "I assure you that we're not abandoning you. We are simply want you to have chance at a better life. We would never hand you over to people who wouldn't take care of you. If you want you can visit us any time. We will always be here for you."

Natsu nodded and returned Ivory's hug.

"Everything looks to be in place." The Head Mistress said. "By this time tomorrow you will be able to take Natsu home."

"Good. This entire process has been exhausting. Come along, dear, we have other things to do."

Jacques and his wife left the office, the latter waving goodbye to Natsu.

He meekly returned it.

* * *

The next day Natsu stood outside along with the rest of the children and staff at the orphanage. He had been a part of this ritual before. Everyone would always say goodbye to the child that was adopted when they left with their new family. It was tradition to show that everyone would miss the person when they were gone. Natsu never thought he would be on the other side. For some reason he thought he would stay at the orphanage forever, or at least he wished he would.

His stomach twisting in knots he watched as a very shiny limousine with the Schnee family crest emblazoned on the side pull up to them. He didn't know why, but he hated vehicles. Every time he saw one he felt sick, and getting inside one was a nightmare.

He tightly clutched his bag. It was filled with clothes that were bought for him during his time in the orphanage. If took only what was brought with when he arrived all he would have had was the white scarf around his neck. He tugged on the scarf in question, watching with apprehension as a portly fellow in a hat exited the driver side of the limo.

He walked around to the other side, smiling and tipping his hat to Natsu and the others before he opening the back back passenger door. Inside the vehicle everyone saw clean leather seats that wrapped around the inside of the vehicle, as well as Natsu's new mother and father. His mother was smiling widely, but his father seemed all but indifferent to the matter.

This didn't exactly feel Natsu with confidence.

"Go on." Ivory urged. "You can do it."

Natsu gave Ivory a final hug and took one step into the limo. When he looked back to the smiling faces of his friends and the staff of the orphanage, he flashed them a toothy grin. He didn't want their last memory of him to be of him being sad.

"See you guys later."

They all said goodbye and Natsu entered the limo, the driver closing the door behind him. As soon as he sat in the seat all of his enthusiasm quickly changed into nausea. That only got worse when the vehicle started to move.

"Are you still nervous about joining are family?" the woman asked. Natsu nodded. "It's ok. There's no need to be frightened. Here." The woman patted her lap and Natsu gingerly crawled over and rested his head there. Jacques snorted.

"We haven't even got him home and you're already coddling him. I say let the boy deal the nerves on his own. It will build character."

"Don't mind him. He's just being grumpy. Relax. Everything will be fine." The woman lovingly rubbed Natsu's head. The warmth of her thighs despite the cool weather outside, the softness of her hands on his head; all of it made Natsu much more comfortable than he expected. He started drifting off to sleep.

"You have two lovely sisters waiting for you when you get home. So you will never be alone when your father and I are away. Welcome to the Schnee Family, Natsu."

* * *

Fafnir Dragion awoke with a start. Gasping for breath he reached over his mask on the night stand and turned on the lamp. After calming down he looked at his hands in the light. They were shaking again.

"Another dream."

He looked out of the large window next to his bed. Because of the red skies it was hard to tell exactly what time of day it was, but he knew could tell that it was late.

He walked to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water. Looking at his reflection in the mirror he pondered just what was happening to him. For the last several months he had been having dreams similar to this one.

In them he lived a life belonging to some person named Natsu Dragneel. Or was it Natsu Schnee? It was hard to tell at this point. Everything mixed together in a pile hat he couldn't tell fact from fiction. The dreams were so vivid that they felt more like memories than illusions, but that couldn't be right. Everything in the dreams was wrong.

He attended school in Vale, made friends, fell in love, and finally was killed. None of it made sense. How come these things only appeared in his dreams? How could he be dead when he was clearly standing in his bathroom? In his rage he broke the glass of the mirror with his forehead. He looked to his fractured reflection, blood dripping into sink from the cut on his forehead. Each crack on the mirror held a version of himself from his dreams.

"What the hell is happening to me?"

He felt a pair of slender arms snake around his waist and a warmth press against his shoulder blades. In the broken mirror he saw a girl with short black hair holding him from behind. The arms and warmth belonged to her.

"Did I wake you up?"

He felt the girl nod against his spine.

"Sorry. Just had another bad dream."

The girl turned Fafnir around, her amber eye showing her concern.

"I'm fine." Fafnir smiled to assuage her fears. "Don't worry about it."

The girl seemed pacified and lead her lover back to bed. Once they were settled she rested her head on his bare chest. It was her favorite spot. He wrapped his arm around her, stroking her hair until she went back to sleep.

"Good night, Cinder."

Fafnir looked to the ceiling. In his mind flashed random visions from his dreams: a dragon, a woman with pale white skin, another woman wearing a Grimm's mask, a man with glasses and a cane, and a beautiful red-haired girl dressed in golden armor. The last thing he saw were four girls: one with silver eyes, the second with long blonde hair, the third wearing what appeared to be the Schnee family crest, and the final one a faunus.

He moved his hand in front of his face. It was shaking again.

"What's happening to me?"

* * *

 **The origin is done! It's been a while since I've written a chapter this long so hopefully it's not too much (Think of it as a "double length" episode). The ending I felt was a little rushed as well, so I'll probably go back and clean that up eventually, but as I said in the beginning this is final chapter of Natsu's origin in Remnant. Guy's been through a lot, having his mind tampered with a whole bunch of times. Added some elements of Raven's tribe (but I didn't go into too much detail since there isn't much known about them at this point) and the Schnee matriarch (I just speculated on what her personality might be like, but I never gave her a name again that is something that was not explained).**

 **I also added in Amber and her sister Peru (who I totally made up. Also Peru is a a shade of brown for those who didn't know) and went a little deeper into the Maidens. Lots of lore exploring, not all of it handled well, but you never know unless you try.**

 **Next up, the start of volume 4.**

 **What will happen to Natsu? Can he be saved? Does he want to be? How will his friends handle it?**

 **You'll just have to find out next time.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think! Thanks for reading! :)**


	42. Changes

Early morning. The sun was rising over the ocean, the birds sang in the skies, and the gentle breeze soothed the troubles of the previous day away.

In this quiet scene, Pyrrha Nikos peacefully sat against the only tree on the hill. On her lap rested the weary, Natsu Schnee. He had yet to wake up, but Pyrrha wasn't worried. If anyone deserved a rest it was him.

Watching as the sun rose, she felt Natsu shuffle around. "Good morning."

"Morning." he grunted.

"Do you want to get up?"

Natsu rolled over to his side. "Five more minutes."

"As you wish" Pyrrha giggled. She placed her hand on his head, running her fingers through his soft pink locks.

"Where are the others?"

"Still at camp I presume. We should head back to them soon."

"Why? It's not like we have anything important to do right now."

"Of course we do. There are still Grimm out there for us to be rid of. Not to mention finding the whereabouts of Cinder's group."

Natsu shrugged. "That stuff can wait for a minute, right? It's not like the world is going to end tomorrow."

Despite her disagreement with Natsu's lackadaisical attitude, Pyrrha found part of herself agreeing with him. Finding Cinder was important, but so was taking a break every once in a while. It would do them no good if they had to fight her along with exhaustion.

"I suppose you're right. A rest might do us some good, besides it feels like ages since you and I have had some time alone together."

"Hm."

"I can't help but feel that you and I…are drifting apart. I don't want that. I want to be with you for as long as I am able."

"You mean that?"

"Of course." Pyrrha smiled. "There is no place I'd rather be than at your side."

"…Then why'd you let me die?"

"What?" Pyrrha turned Natsu over. Her eyes widened in horror. There was an arrow sticking out of his chest, and blood on her hands. "Natsu?" she shook him, but he didn't wake up. "Natsu, wake up please! Don't leave me!"

Slowly the tranquil morning scene morphed into the broken ruins of Beacon Tower. As Pyrrha cradled Natsu's lifeless body in her arms, she could hear foot steps approaching. With tears in her eyes she craned her neck upward, watching as Cinder Fall was stood over her.

Cinder drew her bow. "This is all your fault."

The arrow zipped through the air.

* * *

With a pained yell Pyrrha awoke from her slumber. Panicked, she checked her body for injuries, but just like the previous nights there were none to be found. She laid back down in her sleeping bag with a heavy sigh.

"Not again."

Ever since the day Beacon fell Pyrrha had been having the same dream. She and Natsu would be relaxing somewhere – usually a park, a room in the dormitory, or most recently oceanside. They would enjoy the other's company, talking about this and that before the sobering reality began to set in.

It was always the same. Natsu would say a word or a phrase that forced Pyrrha to relive the scene of his death. No matter what preceded it, it would always end the same; Natsu dead in her arms, and Cinder's arrow aimed at her heart.

She always fell prey to the illusion. Perhaps because she so desperately wanted it to be real. She wanted to hold Natsu in her arms. She wanted to feel his warmth, hear his voice, and see his smile. It was all she thought about at night, as well as parts of the day.

"Pyrrha? Are you ok?"

The question emanated from tired Ruby Rose, who was sleeping on the other side of a soundly sleeping – or rather snoring - Nora.

"I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

It didn't take long for Ruby to see through Pyrrha's hollow smile. "Was it about Natsu again?"

Pyrrha nodded.

Ruby was the only one who knew about Pyrrha's night terrors. Though it wasn't because she was told about them.

During the first week of their journey to Haven, Ruby was shocked awake in the middle of the night by Pyrrha screaming Natsu's name. Ruby thought it was an attack and quickly grabbed her weapon, but when she saw Pyrrha cry she realized that the threat was internal.

Ever since then they've shared this secret. Nora was as close to dead as could be when she slept, and Ren and Jaune were just as oblivious. Ruby wanted to tell the others, believing that Pyrrha can only get over this by talking about it, but Pyrrha refused. She didn't want to be a burden. She had had enough of her friends worrying themselves over her. Just like they were after the battle...

* * *

The air was heavy that night. Thick with plumes of smoke from still burning buildings, as well as the smell of blood and medicine. Pyrrha sat in the remains of Vale's Central Park. That was where the relief station for those injured in the attack was stationed. All around her was rubble. While cleanup was still ongoing, it would be a long time before things were back to normal, and even that was questionable.

Every news station that could still broadcast had already dubbed the event "The Fall of Beacon". It was an apt description if there ever was one.

Pyrrha had been looking at her reflection in the same puddle of murky water beneath her feet for what felt like days. In reality it had only been a couple of hours. Her eyes were hollow, devoid of the natural light that had inspired so many of her fellow students.

Replaying the event over and over, she was still at a loss st to how she survived the battle at the top of the tower. By all accounts she was as good as dead. Her Achilles tendon was completely shattered by Cinder's arrow rendering her immobile, her armor was damaged beyond repair, and her Aura was completely drained. All Cinder need do was let go of that arrow and Pyrrha Nikos would have been no more. She should have died.

But she didn't.

All because of **him**.

With no regard for his own safety, Natsu forced himself between Pyrrha and Cinder. The dull sound of the arrow piercing his chest would stay with Pyrrha for the rest of her life. Along with the heavy weight of his body in her arms, and the cold sensation of his blood on her hands.

Everything after that moment was a blurred mess of sights and sounds. Cinder shouted something in anger, but Pyrrha couldn't remember what it was. She vaguely remembered Cinder aiming another arrow at her heart, but she was so desperate for Natsu to open his eyes that she didn't even care.

The last thing Pyrrha remembered clearly was Ruby arriving at the top of the tower. The look on her face when she saw Natsu's body was the same as Pyrrha's. There was a cry. A scream that would have frightened even the most terrible of Grimm – as well as make any human within earshot feel an intense sadness – followed by a magnificent flash of pure white light.

When she came to Pyrrha was in a medical tent, being patched up by a deer Faunus woman. She was told that a man named Qrow Branwen – Ruby and Yang's uncle if she recalled correctly – had brought her to them and took Ruby home to Patch to be treated. When she asked what happened to Natsu the woman hesitated for a moment before telling her that Natsu was dead on arrival. There was nothing they could do for him.

Pyrrha couldn't even cry at the news. She felt this horrible pain gradually grow in her heart. It was like it was being yanked out, but the tears either refused to flow. Even now she didn't so much as whimper or sob. Shock was the only thing she felt.

"Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha's head craned upward almost robotically. Her dead eyes set upon the rest of her team. Each of them were bandaged, but not as severely as her. Their faces showed their collective concern for her. As well as empathy for the sadness she felt.

"How are you feeling?"

"We heard about the battle at the tower from Professor Goodwitch."

"We also heard about Natsu."

Pyrrha dropped her head again, her hollow eyes beginning to burn with anger and regret now. "It should have been me."

"Pyrrha..."

Jaune barely heard what she said, but it disturbed him all the same. He reached to her but she suddenly grabbed her crutches and propped herself up. She turned her back to her friends.

"I'm sorry. I'm glad that all of you are alright, but…I think I would like to be alone for a while."

Before the rest of JNPR could speak a loud shout came from the medical tents.

"Let me go this instant!"

The voice belonged to none other than Weiss Schnee. She was being held back from proceeding further into the camp by Atlas Soldiers. Struggling to free herself, she was faced by General Ironwood.

"What's going on over there?" Ren asked.

"Is that Weiss?" Nora questioned.

Jaune watched the scene in silence. Pyrrha couldn't do the same. She was much too ashamed to face what was happening.

"Please, Weiss. You have to calm down." They heard Ironwood say. "You're disturbing others being treated."

"Where is my brother?! I know he was brought here!"

Pyrrha shuddered. If she was able she would have ran away as fast as her legs could carry her and not look back. _I'm sorry, Weiss. This is my fault._

"If you just calm down we can go somewhere private and discuss this when your father arrives-"

"Whatever you have to say can be said right here and right now. There is no need to wait for my father."

Weiss fiercely cut off the general. Even from their spot on the hill Team JNPR could feel Weiss' authoritative aura as a Schnee.

"Let her go."

At Ironwood's order the soldiers released the heiress. She dusted herself off.

"Now where is he?"

"…Follow me."

Team JNPR watched as Ironwood lead Weiss - along with his men - to a tent sequestered a fair distance away from the others. They surmised that was where Natsu's body was being kept. They didn't have the fortitude to go see for themselves. After Weiss and Ironwood entered the tent, things became eerily quiet for a few moments.

"Do you think Weiss-"

Nora was interrupted when a large arm made of ice suddenly ripped through the top of the medical tent.

* * *

"Where were you this time?" asked Ruby.

"On a hill. We were looking out at the sun rise. It was beautiful. Not long after I felt the blood." Pyrrha rubbed her palms. If she focused hard enough she could feel the stickiness of Natsu's blood on her hands. "Then Cinder appeared."

She didn't have to say anymore. Ruby already knew the rest of the story.

"Are you sure we shouldn't tell the others?"

"No. It will only make them worry."

"But, Pyrrha-"

"No, Ruby." Pyrrha's refusal was much sterner than usual. "This is something that I have to deal with on my own. Sorry for waking you again. Good night."

Pyrrha rolled over in her sleeping bag, firmly ending her and Ruby's conversation. The displaced leader of Team RWBY dejectedly followed suit and laid back down with a sorrowful "goodnight".

As Ruby and Nora slept, Pyrrha's eyes were drawn to her belongings in the corner. Peeking out of the top of the knapsack were Natsu's Black Summer gauntlets.

For the past number of months she carried them around, but was at a complete loss as to what to do with them. She cleaned them and made sure they were well taken care of, but she didn't do much else. She didn't even know why she did that much. It's not like Natsu was going to want them back.

She couldn't keep them forever, otherwise it would get even more depressing, and she dared not use them. Not only did they not match her fighting style, it wouldn't feel right.

 _I want you to have them. Perhaps you can make better use of them than I can._

Weiss' words echoed in Pyrrha's ears. When she glanced over to her armor – resting neatly next to her bag – she was struck with an idea. Perhaps there was a reason she continued to carry them after all.

* * *

It is said that all things are born from darkness. Emotions and actions. Humans and animals. Grimm. It is in the black that all is equal. It is in the black that all things are revealed. Light is a perversion of natural order. One's true face can only be shown when thrust into the pit of darkness head first and emerge from the other side.

Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black watched this truth first hand. From high within a castle in an undisclosed location, the pair of mercenaries watched in horrified awe as a single claw rose out of one of the black pits that dotted the land below. Pulling itself up from the darkness of creation was a Beowolf.

The newly created Grimm lumbered out of the blackness, its first roars of life echoing in the ears of the frightened teens. Across the reddened, desolate landscape more Beowolves rose from other pits. No matter how many times the two saw this, it never got any easier to accept. It was truly like looking at death itself take form.

A loud snap of fingers lured Emerald and Mercury away from the window to a roundtable placed in the middle of the large meeting room they were in. There were seven chairs at the table, but only four were occupied. In one sat a man with dark, clean-cut hair and a mustache watching a news feed on his scroll. Two chairs down from him slept a rather burly man with brown hair.

Across from the sleeping giant sat - or rather crouched – a lanky fellow with long black hair tied in a braid and scars on his chest, his eyes hurriedly scanning across the room as he waited for the meeting to start. One chair down from this man was where Mercury and Emerald stopped. This was the chair belonging to Cinder Fall.

The current Fall Maiden had certainly seen better days. Her long luxurious hair was now cut short, her left eye was gone, and there was now an x-shaped scar over the bridge of her nose – which was partially obscured by the patch over her missing eye.

Mercury moved next to Cinder, but Emerald quickly shoved him aside and took his place.

"Do you hear that?" the mustached man asked to no one in particular. "Silence. I've half a mind to thank the girl that bested you."

His haughty tone prompted Mercury to move, but Emerald held him back.

"If I were you I'd hunt her down, find her and…well you know the how the saying goes: 'An eye for an eye.'"

Cinder glared at the braided man as he laughed manically at his own joke. Just as before Cinder had no way of rebuking the men at the table. In addition to her physical scarring, Ruby Rose's unexpected attack severely damaged Cinder's vocal chords. The most she could muster were pained, breathless rasps and gasps that only Emerald could seem to translate.

As Cinder tried to speak to Emerald, the mustached man scoffed.

"Pathetic. Why did you even-"

Just then the heavy wooden doors of the room slowly creaked open. Those seated at the table rose, watching as a woman with pure white skin and hair, and black veins on her arms and face seemingly floated into the room. All felt their blood run cold when she passed them, their fear as high as their respect and reverence for her.

The woman stopped before a set of lit candles, the back of her pitch black cloak facing her subordinates.

"Watts."

The mustached man prepared himself for whatever his master had to say. When the woman finally turned around, her black and red eyes were narrowed in indignation at him.

"You find such malignancy necessary?" with a wave of her hand everyone sat down – with the exceptions of Mercury, Emerald, and Watts himself.

"My apologies, ma'am." Watts bowed in apology. "I'm just not fond of failure." With that he finally sat down, as did his master.

"Then there should be no cause for concern. Not only did young Cinder become our Fall Maiden, she caused the destruction of Beacon Tower, killed Ozpin, and most important of all…brought my lost child back to me. So pray tell, of what 'failure' are you referring to?"

Watts collected himself. He knew he had to choose his next words carefully. "The girl with the silver eyes."

"Yes." The burly man growled. "This is not the first time we've dealt with their kind. How did a novice manage to best one of us?"

"My thoughts exactly. Even without her new power she should have had no trouble. There is also the matter of the Nikos girl. If I remember correctly she also holds a small portion of the maiden's power within her as well, does she not?"

"Pyrrha Nikos is not a threat to us." Salem assured. "Her power pales in comparison to Cinder's. Their battle at Beacon more than proved that fact. Once the powers are reunited there will be no more concerns on that front. As for the other girl, it is because of the Maiden's power that she lives." She turned to Cinder. "Make no mistake, child. You hold the key to our victory, but your newfound power comes with a crippling weakness. That is why you will stay at my side until your treatment is finished."

Cinder was visually displeased at this. She had been stuck at the palace for months undergoing treatment after treatment for her condition. She was the Fall Maiden, but she felt like nothing more than a lab rat, or worse a helpless child.

"Dr. Watts, you will take Cinder's place and convene with our informant in Mistral." Salem ordered.

"It will be done."

"Tyrion, continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden."

"Gladly." The braided man chuckled.

"Hazel, I will be sending you to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting. The boy remains useful, see that Sienna Khan is the same."

"As you wish."

"What about me?" In the open doorway stood a young man with spiky pink hair and a red and black horned mask over the top half of his face. "Don't tell me I have to sit out again."

Salem grinned. "On the contrary, Fafnir. I **do** have an assignment for you."

"Finally! What is it? Rounding up some Huntsman? Looking for a Maiden?"

"I would like you to oversee a dust mining operation that the White Fang are conducting. It was a request from Adam Taurus."

Fafnir's eyes narrowed beneath his mask. "Since when do we take orders from him?"

"We don't, but it's best we keep our relationship with him mutually beneficial…for now. When he's outlived his usefulness then we will deal with him."

Fafnir still wasn't satisfied with this answer. "Sounds like we take orders from him to me."

"Watch your tongue, boy." Watts demanded. "When milady gives you an order it's best you shut your mouth and follow it."

Fafnir stepped up to Watts. "You wanna fight, old man? Because I've been itching to knock you off that high horse."

"You haven't the fortitude best me, whelp."

"Watts. Fafnir." Salem's chilling tone caught their attention. "That's enough."

Watts collected himself. fixing his jacket before sitting back down. "My apologies, milady."

"Sorry."

Cinder started to rasp, prompting Emerald to bend down to her level.

"Speak, child." Salem prompted.

"She wants to know…what about the girl?" Emerald finally asked. She still had a hard time looking at Salem directly. It was like staring into an abyss that only stared back, and then laughed at you for daring to look.

"What about her?" Watts scoffed. "She's Cinder's problem, not ours."

The Fall Maiden slammed her fist on the table in anger, eliciting both smirk from the doctor. Fafnir glared at Watts again.

"No. She makes a good point. Tyrion."

"Yes, milady?"

"Spring can wait. Find the girl that did this to Cinder."

Tyrion giggled with delight.

"And bring her to me."

Just like that his enthusiasm vanished. After a few seconds of conflict with himself, Tyrion accepted his master's order with a sly smile.

"Let me go too." Fafnir spoke. "I've fought the girl before. I know what she can do."

"Yes, and if I recall you also let her get away." Watts reminded.

"I won't this time. I promise." He bowed his head before Salem. "Please, Mother."

"Very well. You will accompany Tyrion on his assignment, but don't get carried away. Remember I want the girl brought to me alive."

Fafnir – similar to Tyrion – showed displeasure with this edict, but he accepted it nontheless. "Right. Thank you, Mother. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, my child." Salem stood up along with the others seated at the table. "Because of your efforts Beacon has fallen, and Haven will soon follow. You are all dismissed."

Everyone bowed and exited the meeting room. When Fafnir turned the corner he was met with the annoyed glare of Neopolitan.

"You finally woke up." He joked. Neopolitan didn't crack a smile. She started tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. "Come on, don't get mad. I just got us a job. I think you'll like it. We're going after Ruby Rose."

Neopolitan's eyes widened.

"You can finally get revenge for what happened to Roman." He placed his hand on her hat and smiled. "Still mad at me?"

Neopolitan sighed and shook her head with her usual smirk.

"Great. Go gather our things. We're leaving with Tyrion in an hour."

Neopolitan grimaced again.

"I know. I don't like him either, but technically the job was his first. Now get going would ya?"

Neopolitan bowed her head and disappeared in a flash.

"Fafnir."

The masked young man turned around at the call of his name, facing Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. He walked over to them.

"Cinder said be careful." Emerald relayed.

Cinder gently placed her hand on his cheek and he grabbed it. "Don't worry. Mother said to bring her in alive. She didn't say anything about her being able to walk under her own power." His lips curled into a frightening smile. "I'll make sure she pays for what she did to you."

Cinder brought her lover closer, lifted his mask, and kissed him deeply - much to Emerald's annoyance. Mercury was amused. When they separated Fafnir put his mask back on and said goodbye before leaving to meet Neopolitan at the end of the hall.

"I'm glad he's on our side."

"Yeah, but for how long? He'll find out what really happened eventually."

Cinder glared at her subordinates, her eye glowing with Maiden's power. Mercury and Emerald quickly remembered themselves.

"Forgive us."

"Yeah. We're sorry."

"You needn't worry about him."

The trio whipped around to see Salem standing behind them. The sudden appearance of the woman almost made their hearts stop. They hadn't so much as heard her approach.

"He is right where he needs to be, and if he ever begins to doubt that Dr. Watts will be more than happy to remind him just as before."

"Y-yes, ma'am." Emerald stammered. Mercury said nothing but he fearfully nodded.

Salem held out her hand to Cinder. "Shall we begin today's session?"

* * *

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to us."

"All part of the job, sir."

Ruby saluted to the village elder. She and her team had just completed the extermination of a Geist - a very large Grimm - in the forest. Though the pay wasn't much, the group happily accepted the assignment if only to help the people.

The bulk of the heavy lifting was done by Ruby, Nora, and Ren. Pyrrha – while assisting from afar with her Semblance when able – couldn't do much without her armor and weapons. Jaune was the same - acting as the group's strategist while they coordinated attacks.

"If you don't feel safe here you could always come with us." Ruby offered. "We're on our way to Mistral."

The elder chuckled. "Safe to say you children are not locals of the area. Though we may be in danger every now and again, it would be much more harrowing travelling anywhere else. We've created a comfortable living here outside of the kingdoms. We prefer to keep it that way."

All around the village were smiling people interacting with each other and animals. It was obvious they didn't have much in the way of resources, but that didn't stop them from living how they saw fit. The technologies provided by the kingdoms was not always the best solution. The manner in which Beacon fell was a sobering reminder of that.

The quintet bowed before the elder and said their goodbyes, however before leaving the village proper they stopped in a blacksmith's shop.

"There you all are. I was beginning to think y'all forgot all about me."

"Sorry." Ruby apologized. "Our job took a little longer than we thought."

"Heard you kids took out that Geist hidin in the woods. Good work."

"How did you know?"

"Small town. Word travels fast."

"...But we literally just finished it a minute ago."

"Is it finished?" Jaune piped up.

"Sure is. Not to brag, but I think you'll be pleased with what I came up with. Hold on a sec, I'll bring it out the back. You come along too, little lady. The wife should have yours all ready to go too."

Confused, Pyrrha pointed to herself. "M-me? A-alright."

She followed the shopkeeper to a room near the back of the store. Upon entering she saw a female Faunus - the same species as the shop owner - standing before what appeared to be a mannequin.

"You're just in time. I was just finishing the final polish."

The blacksmith's wife smiled and stepped aside, allowing Pyrrha to see her new armor for the first time. She was speechless at how different it looked.

"Try it on. I guarantee you'll notice the difference right away."

At the woman's insistence Pyrrha slipped the breastplate over her head. The smooth metal easily slid down her body, the new pauldrons set securely on her shoulders. When she put on the boots she noticed a button on each side of the heel. She pressed them, nearly jumping out her skin when the boots extended into segments up her legs.

She stood up to face the mirror in the corner of the room. While a little tighter than what she was used to, the new armor was much lighter than her old one, but it also covered more surface area. However the one change Pyrrha noticed the most was the color.

While her signature red and gold were still present, they were now overpowered by a striking amount of black. Every piece of the armor was black with gold and red accents. It was a darker design to be sure, but Pyrrha found solace in it.

When she found her weapons they were blackened as well, but not to the degree of her armor. They still retained their mostly gold color scheme.

"There's one more thing." The shopkeeper's wife pointed at her temple. "There's a small button on the side of the tiara. Press it."

Pyrrha did as she was told, and watched in awe as the Tiara expanded into a helmet that covered her head - though it left an opening in the back for her long hair to flow out.

"I…I can't thank enough for this. This armor is amazing."

"There's no need to thank me, dear." the woman smiled. "I should be thanking **you**. My husband and I have never seen such high quality metal before. It was so durable, yet light at the same time. How did you get a hold of it?"

Natsu's smiling face entered Pyrrha's mind.

"A friend." she answered with a small grin. She bowed. "Thank you again."

"You just be safe out there. If you ever need anything else. We'll be here."

Pyrrha nodded. "I appreciate that."

* * *

When Pyrrha rejoined her friends she was met with awe.

"You look awesome!" shouted Ruby.

"The colors really flow together." Complimented Ren.

"You upgrade to a grenade launcher?" questioned Nora.

"You look great, Pyrrha." Said Jaune.

"You as well."

Thanks to the leftovers from her own armor's creation, Jaune was able to upgrade his gear as well. The white on the armor and weapons was now accented with a brilliant golden trim. It also looked much sturdier than before. By all appearances he looked like a real knight.

"Thanks for letting me use some of your equipment for this."

"It was nothing." Pyrrha smiled. "We all can benefit from a little change."

"Hooray for team RNNJR (Ranger)!" Ruby shouted.

"Team JNNRR (Junior)." Nora corrected.

"I've told you before that Junior is not a color." Ren said to the excitable grenade enthusiast.

"It doesn't matter what the name is. As long as we're all together." Jaune reminded.

"Jaune is right." Pyrrha agreed.

"You sure you kids don't mind sticking around?" asked the shopkeeper. "Done some mighty fine work for this town."

"Thanks for the offer but we've got another mission." Ruby said.

"Make it Haven Academy." Nora explained.

"We've heard the next village over has an air ship." Said Ren.

The shopkeeper thought for a moment. "Not sure if I can help you much with that one. Scroll signals were kinda screwy out here even **when** Beacon Tower was still runnin. I doubt they'll be any help now. No tellin what's going on in Shion."

"Guess we'll have to check the old fashioned way." Ruby said. "Come on, guys. Let's get going."

The former students of Beacon Academy all waved goodbye to the shopkeeper and made their way into the forest path towards Shion. Judging by the pace they were going it would take at least a day or so until they reached their destination. As Jaune and the others went over a checklist of their supplies, Pyrrha lagged a few steps behind.

She had been looking over her armor since she had received it. As told to her numerous times it was very well made, and she felt confident it would aid her well in the battles to come, but she couldn't help but feel that it was still incomplete. Something was missing...something important. When she looked down to her bare waist she came to a sudden realization, and fervently began checking through her bag.

"Pyrrha, what's up?"

Jaune and the rest of the team circled back to their friend.

"Did you forget something in town?" asked Ruby.

"Should we go back?" offered Ren.

Pyrrha unwittingly ignored her friends and continued her search. "Where is it? I know I- found it!" In one swift motion she pulled Natsu's scarf out of her bag and quickly wrapped it around her waist just as she would her red cloth. As the scarf waved lightly in the breeze she looked to her friends, her green eyes anxiously awaiting a response to her bold fashion choice.

After a few seconds Ruby smiled. The others followed soon after.

"I think he'd like it."

Ruby's words brought a relieved smile to Pyrrha's face. With a nod she picked up her bag and continued on the path to Shion with her friends.

* * *

 **Well I was going to wait to release this until later in the week, but since I've reached over 800 reviews on this story (as well as to commemorate the end of Vol. 4) here is the first chapter of the fourth volume of Misplaced!**

 **Seriously i can't thank you guys enough for all of the reviews, they really help me out. This is easily the most reviewed story I have posted on this site (it might be the most favored/liked as well but I'm not 100% sure on that). I know 800 reviews may be an odd thing to celebrate, but its still a pretty big milestone to me.**

 **As for costume changes, I based Pyrrha's new armor on a redesign done by Razeniz-Angel on Deviantart, it's pretty cool so check that out. As for Natsu, his new outfit is the same from the cover of chapter 322. His mask is similar to the Grimm dragon's.**

 **Team name...to be honest I couldn't think of anything. If anyone has a suggestion feel free to let me know.**

 **Also I know a couple of you were asking to know what happened in the aftermath of Natsu's death so i thought I should start that here. Basically the first few chapters will show what happened from the perspective of the focus character in that chapter (Ruby is obviously out since we already saw her reaction at the end of Volume 3).**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! Here's to 1000! :D**


	43. Fractured Family

It was dark then there was a bright light. That was the last thing Weiss remembered as she sat in one of the medical tents in the safe zone. Her injuries having been treated by the medical staff, the heiress was still trying to mentally recreate the circumstances that brought her here.

She helped Ruby get to the top of Beacon Tower to help Natsu and Pyrrha, but everything after that was a blur. The only memory that remained constant was that light. It was so bright that she thought she'd go blind if she looked at it directly. Just what created it? She didn't know for sure, but she could tell that it was powerful.

She suddenly realized what she had to do. She shot up from her bed and made her way out of the tent and in to the camp proper.

 _Natsu!_

Weiss went from tent to tent, searching for any sign as to where her brother might be. No one she asked seemed to know – either that or they wouldn't tell her. She thought to ask her teammates, but they were unavailable in one form or another. Ruby had been taken back home by her Uncle Qrow, Yang was still unconscious following her…accident, and Blake was missing. Pyrrha and Team JNPR were gone as well.

 _Just where could he be?_

Reaching the end of camp, Weiss saw a lone tent at the edge of the northern perimeter.

 _That's the only place I haven't looked. He must be in there. When I see him I'm going to give him a piece of my mind for-_

When she was a third of the way to the tent, her advance was halted by two Atlas soldiers.

"We're sorry, but we can't allow you to go any further. This is a restricted area for medical personnel only." One of them said. Weiss was not impressed.

"May I ask why?"

"That's classified."

"I see. Well then there is no more to discuss. Now if you'll excuse me." Weiss pushed past the guards. One of them grabbed her shoulder. "Unhand me." she demanded.

"I can't do that, ma'am. The area is off limits."

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

"I am aware of your family's reputation, Ma'am, but I have a job to do. And that job is to not allow anyone without special access entry into this tent. "

"Let go of me this instant!"

As she fought to free herself from the soldiers' collective grasp, General Ironwood approached.

"What is going on here?"

"Sir, she is trying to-"

"I can speak for myself thank you! I was trying to find my brother, but these brutes stopped me."

"She was trying to enter the restricted tent, sir. We were just trying to-"

"That's enough. All of you." At Ironwood's command his soldiers straightened at attention. "Weiss, you have to calm down. You're disturbing others being treated."

"I don't care!" The heiress shouted. "Where is my brother?! I know he was brought here."

"If you just take a moment to calm down we can discuss this matter in private when your father arrives-"

"Whatever you have to have to say can be said here and now. There is no need to wait for my father."

When Ironwood looked in to Weiss' pale blue eyes, they exuded the authority that came with the Schnee name. He had seen that same focused glare in both the eyes of Winter, as well as Jacques – the patriarch of the Schnee family. Realizing that he couldn't win this battle, he relented to her request.

"Very well. Let her go."

On Ironwood's order the soldiers released heiress. She dusted herself off.

"Now where is he?"

"Follow me."

Weiss followed General Ironwood to the restricted tent. The soldiers returned to their posts.

Inside, the tent was filled with some of the most advanced medical technology that Atlas had to offer – a lot of which Weiss had heard was still in the prototype phase.

"We tried everything, but in the end there was nothing we could do." Ironwood told her.

"What are you talking about? Where is Natsu?"

Ironwood directed Weiss' attention to a lone bed in the back of the tent, its occupant covered in a white sheet. When she saw the solemn look on the General's face, the beating of her heart quickened.

No.

Her footsteps were shaky, her legs trembling more and more the closer she came to the bed. Slowly Weiss reached for the top of the sheet, her fingers shaking as she unsteadily pulled it back. When she saw the face of her brother her heart finally stopped and hot tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She turned to Ironwood.

"What happened to him?"

"An arrow. It pierced his chest...and hit his heart. He was gone before we could get to him."

Weiss refused to accept this. She grabbed Natsu's cold shoulders and lightly shook him. "Natsu…wake up."

No response. She shook harder.

"This isn't funny anymore...wake up, Natsu. I said wake up!"

Ironwood yanked her back before she pulled Natsu out of the bed. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"Let me go! I have to wake him up! Natsu!" Weiss violently thrashed around in Ironwood's grip. The guards outside ran into the tent with their weapons drawn.

"Sir, what's going on? We heard yelling!"

"It's nothing! Return to your posts!"

The guards watched as their commanding struggled to keep a hold on Weiss. "But, Sir-"

"Now!"

"Yes, Sir!" His booming command had the desired effect and the guards quickly returned to their stations.

Weiss reached out to her brother. "Natsu, wake up…please, wake up…big brother..."

"He's gone." Ironwood said emphatically. "There is nothing you can do for him now."

Weiss fell to her knees along with Ironwood. The normally stern and rigid General hugged the distraught girl to his chest as she cried.

"I'm so sorry. I wish we could have done more for him. He was brave until the very end. I promise you we will never forget his sacrifice."

Weiss' sobs intensified, bursting into a saddening, grief-laden cry. Suddenly Ironwood felt an odd energy coming from the girl and let her go on instinct.

He jumped back, watching as a glyph appeared above Weiss.

"Is she-"

From out of the glyph rose a giant arm that ripped through the top of the tent. It was there for a few seconds, it's open palm pointed to the sky, before disappearing in a burst of light.

Weiss fell to the ground unconscious, her face all but stained from her tears.

* * *

One after another Atlas military airships passed by Weiss' window. The sight itself wasn't very odd - her room was located on the third floor of the Schnee mansion - but tt was all they seemed to do anymore after the fall. Since then Atlas' military presence increased tenfold in the kingdom with General Ironwood swearing "that such a tragedy would never occur again". Weiss wasn't fully convinced.

If a country as alert and protected as Vale had been invaded, and a man as attentive as Professor Ozpin was defeated, what hope did Atlas have? She dared not think of the answer. There were other things she worried about.

Chief among them was Ruby and Team JNPR. It had been months since they started on their journey, and Weiss had yet to hear a word from them. Ruby used to send letters on their progress, but those grew more and more scare as the days went by. Even though she wasn't too worried about the quintet being able to handle themselves, the thought of them in an unfamiliar part of the world alone was still troubling.

But perhaps even more troubling was Natsu. Nearly a year and his body had yet to be found. To prevent a media storm the family called the crime "the work of thieves and cowards", but also made it a point to say that nothing had been stolen. As of now the grave was occupied by a dummy in Natsu's likeness.

All investigations had come up short. There was no lead to a trail or even a piece of evidence indicating the identity of the criminals. It was like they never existed. Despite this Weiss never gave up hope.

Every night she searched through newspapers and databases as to any sightings of her brother's body. As of yet she turned up nothing. Even her source – the mysterious KB – had stopped contacting her when their lead proved a false one. Even so Weiss never stopped searching. Her brother was out there, and she would find him.

Three taps echoed from her room door.

"Yes?"

The heavy door creaked open and in walked a stout butler with balding brown hair, a mustache, and a rather bulbous nose. His name was Klein – one of the family's eldest servants next to Emily – and if Weiss could describe him in a word it would be…multi-faceted.

"Sorry to bother you, Miss Schnee, but your father wishes to see you."

Weiss gave a belabored sigh. Talks with her father were never pleasant. "Thank you, Klein."

Living in a large mansion sometimes had its advantages: plenty of bathrooms, hundreds of good hiding spots for when you got into trouble, and being able to play music as loud as you wanted without disturbing anyone else, but there were couple of pains as well and among the Weiss' least favorite was easily "the walk".

For reasons she still had yet to fathom, her father's study was on the opposite end of the mansion. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but because of the sheer size of the house it could take up to ten minutes time to reach it if you walk at a leisurely pace from the opposite end – which is exactly what Weiss did.

Natsu in particular hated the walk. He'd spend half of the time complaining, and the other half thinking of an excuse to get out of trouble. Suffice to say these excuses rarely ever worked, but it was something he and Weiss did to pass the time.

This was the first time she'd ever done the walk alone.

Through the upper walkway of the dining hall, down the stairs between the armored statues, to the right of the statue of the two headed snake in the foyer, and past the grand piano in the great hall was a door near the end of a long hallway. Behind that door was her father's study. It was where he conducted all of his business deals, as well as his punishments.

"Good afternoon, sister. A surprise to see you out of your room so early in the day."

Standing between Weiss and the study was a well-dressed young boy with white hair and eyes similar to hers. The two walked around one another, trading places in the process.

"Hello, Whitley. You're in a good mood today."

"Klein made crepes."

Whitely Schnee. The youngest child of the Schnee family. It was rare that he and Weiss saw each other in the house outside of meals.

A somewhat sickly boy since birth, Whitley was in and out of medical facilities. Fearing the worst, their father arranged that a male heir be chosen to take his place. This was how Natsu came to be adopted. Despite this obvious slight, Whitley still cared for Natsu and treated him as his older brother. Weiss was surprised when she found Whitley the picture of health when she returned home. According to him it was due to recent advancements in Atlas medical technology.

"What do you want? Surely you didn't wait all this time to discuss breakfast."

"I heard Father shouting at someone in the study earlier."

"Was it Mother?"

"No, she's been drinking in the garden since sunrise."

Weiss looked away in shame. That's all their mother did since Natsu died.

"I believe it was a man. I just thought I should warn you since he wanted to speak with you."

"Thank you for the warning, but I'll be fine."

"I know you will. You're strong, just like Natsu and Winter."

Weiss raised a brow at her younger brother's compliment. "You **never** liked Winter."

Whitley shrugged. "True, but there's no denying her resolve."

Now Weiss was starting to get suspicious. "There's something…different about you."

"That's only because you've been gone. I never stopped growing while you and Natsu were at Beacon…I just wish he was here to see it as well."

"Yeah…" Weiss looked down to her feet. "Me too."

"Well anyway, good luck with Father." With a wave Whitley proceeded down the opposite end of the hall passing by a portrait on the wall.

It depicted the entirety of the Schnee family – Natsu included. For one fleeting moment in time all of them – minus Jacques – were smiling as one family. It would be a long time before something like that happened again. If ever.

Preparing herself for what came next Weiss approached the study door.

"This isn't about the good of my company! This is for the good of Atlas!"

"You're full of it."

"Excuse me?!"

Coming closer to the door, Weiss could hear the angered shouts of her father and his guest. Carefully she opened the door a crack, seeing her father and General Ironwood engaged in a heated argument.

"Please, Jacques. Just hear me out."

Weiss' father slammed his glass of scotch on the table. "For years you have been a friend as well as a trusted ally to this family, James, but what you are suggesting is completely insane."

"You're exaggerating. If you just let me explain-"

"The council will never agree to it!" Jacques shot up from his seat and Weiss made a slight jump backwards. That volume had scared her many a time growing up, but Ironwood remained steady.

He stood up as well, his heated glare matching the Schnee patriarch's. "You seem to forget that two of those seats belong to me."

"How could I forget? Your dust embargo has already cost me millions!"

"So this **is** about you?"

Jacques groaned. The door shut, and both men saw that Weiss had entered the room.

"My apologies, Miss Schnee." Ironwood bowed. "I should have taken my leave long before now."

"I-it's alright." Truth be told Weiss wished that they had argued a little longer, if only so she wouldn't have to talk to her father.

Ironwood turned to Jacques. "We can continue this at a later date."

"That we will. Klein will escort you out."

"No need. I know the way. Until next we meet, Jacques."

Weiss' father answered with a firm nod. Ironwood turned to Weiss.

"You always have a home at Atlas Academy, Miss Schnee. Classes will be back in session soon."

With that he promptly left the study. When the door shut Jacques moved back to his desk, his attention now focused on his daughter.

"Did you forget your manners while at Beacon?"

"N-no, Father. Forgive me."

"It shocks me that people blame our kingdom for what happened to Beacon and Vale. Can you believe that? It's completely unfounded."

"I can't say I blame them. They weren't there."

"Lord knows why Ironwood still holds his position." He turned his chair to face the portrait of himself on the back wall. "It's no doubt to the council's faith in him. However tenuous that relationship is."

"I trust him."

Jacques sighed and faced his daughter. "It's because of him we're forbidden from exporting Dust to the other kingdoms. A 'precautionary measure' he says until we're certain no one will declare war. How anyone justifies this lunacy is beyond me. That is exactly why the Schnee Dust Company will be host a charity concert in the coming weeks."

Weiss' eyes widened at her Father's announcement.

"We have to show the people of Remnant that we are allies after all. We all lost someone during the fall."

"That's…wonderful." Weiss was skeptical at first, but it seemed her father was genuine about showing empathy to the people affected by the tragedy.

"Of course it is. And it would bring smiles to a lot of people's faces if **you** performed at the event."

The uneasiness came rushing back. "E-excuse me?"

"A lot of people forget that you were there that day. My very own daughter, a proud Schnee, on the ground giving it her all to protect Vale. Not only that, we tragically lost Natsu as well during the attack. We also have yet to find his body. We must remind them that no matter what tragedies we face the Schnee family is stronger than ever."

"You want to use Natsu's death as a means to gain sympathy?"

"Don't be so dramatic, Weiss. This is just to remind the people that they are not alone in their grief. We all suffered, but we can also overcome that suffering with fortitude and togetherness. Both you and Natsu will help with that. I know he would be happy to know that he was able to inspire people in death."

Weiss wasn't entirely convinced by her father's words. Part of her knew that this entire idea was just a publicity stunt to him to show the Council that he could continue his operations unimpeded, but she also couldn't argue the value of such an event. If done correctly it could help bring a splintered people together.

"Will you sing? I know it will make a lot of people happy."

"…I'll start practicing."

"Good girl."

With a bow, Weiss exited the study and stepped into the hallway. Just as she thought, talks with her father were never good.

"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee? I hear the Master keeps his study dreadfully cold."

Weiss was greeted in the hall by Klein. The portly servant held in his arms a plate with a steaming mug of coffee. With a weak smile Weiss graciously accepted the drink.

"Thank you."

"You know what I think?" Klein raised the tray over his face. Upon lowering it his normal brown eyes had changed to red. "I think it's to balance out his hot air." His demeanor had completely changed, and his now raspy chuckle brought a smile to Weiss' face.

The two shared a laugh and Klein sneezed, this time his eyes changed to blue, and just like before his attitude changed. Now he was much more meek and frightened. Weiss continued to laugh.

"My apologies, madam." With another sneeze his eyes returned to their original color. He smiled warmly at the sound of Weiss' laugh. "There's my little snowflake."

Weiss's smile widened. "Thank you, Klein."

* * *

"So the next town is…" Ruby stalled for time as she twisted and turned the map around. "We're lost."

Perhaps it was not Team JNPR's best idea to make her the navigator.

"We're not lost." Jaune told her. "The next town is Shion. My family and I used to vacation there all the time."

"Don't you have like four sisters?"

"…Seven."

Ruby stifled her laughter.

"That does explain a lot." Nora teased.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry, Jaune. I think having seven sisters is wonderful." Pyrrha smiled. "That means you always had someone to play with."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better."

"What did you guys do in Shion?" asked Ruby. Jaune's spirits brightened and he eagerly pushed to the front to look at the map with her.

"Here's a great hiking trail, and we went camping over here. I got my own tent because I was special…also so my sisters would stop braiding my hair."

"Not a fan?"

"Not really. All they did were pigtails, but I fancy myself more of a warrior's wolf tail kinda guy."

"You mean a ponytail?"

"I know what I said."

"I think it would look great on you, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled.

"See? Why can't you guys be more like Pyrrha? She's always supportive."

Jaune and Ruby continued looking on the map as they travelled further down the road. They hadn't noticed that the rest of their team stopped following around a minute ago.

"Guys!"

"What?"

At Nora's call both Jaune and Ruby finally looked up. What they saw up ahead shocked them.

Before their very eyes was a village in ruin. Smoke rose from the extinguished fires, buildings were broken beyond repair, and dead bodies were laid all along the ground.

"What could have done this?" Pyrrha gasped.

"Let's search for survivors."

The group nodded and followed Ren into the village. The scene grew more and more depressing the deeper they went. It was like a war had taken place. They split up in their search, but found no one still breathing.

"This is horrible."

Pyrrha knelt by the body of middle aged man she had seen. Judging by the clothes he was wearing and the weapon at his waist he was a Huntsman. Clutched somewhat tightly in his hand was a small red cloth. Pyrrha took it.

 _This might belong to whoever who did this._

"Hey! I found someone!" Ren shouted.

Pyrrha put the cloth in her bag and regrouped with her friends in the center of town. There they say Ren next to a mortally wounded huntsman.

"Kids, huh? They just keep makin 'em younger and younger." He coughed up blood through his grin.

"Save your strength." Ren advised.

"What happened here?" asked a panicked Jaune. "Who killed these people?"

"Bandits." The Huntsman coughed. "A whole tribe of them, then in all the chaos-" his coughing grew more severe, rendering him unable to continue, but Ren knew what he was trying to say.

"Grimm."

"If we take him to the next village we can find a doctor and find out what else happened." Ruby suggested.

"Ren and I can take turns carrying him." Jaune volunteered.

"Guys, I don't know if he'll make it." Nora worried.

"It's already too late." Pyrrha said mournfully.

"Don't say that!" Ruby shouted. "We can still do something. I'll run ahead for help and-"

"Pyrrha's right."

The group turned to Ren. Just like they said, the Huntsman was gone.

"Should we…bury him?" Nora tentatively asked.

Pyrrha looked down to Natsu's scarf. "Yes." She answered. "He deserves a warrior's farewell."

Without a word Ren pushed through his teammates and made his way back to the village entrance.

"Ren?" A concerned Nora followed him. "Ren, what's wrong? Why did you-"

She found him stopped in front what appeared to be a giant horse's footprint. At once her body started to shake. She had only seen something like it one other time, and that was a memory she desperately tried to forget. She looked to Ren.

Unlike her his eyes were focused.

* * *

 _This was your fault! You will suffer for this! All of you!_

 _Natsu, wake up. Natsu. Natsu!_

Ruby's eyes shot open to the starry sky. Another bad dream. There were never any sights, only sounds and a vague haze of silver. In these dreams she would hear mumbles and fractures of conversations that she had no idea had happened.

They would start inaudible, before becoming louder and louder. Who was speaking was usually random, but there was one constant: they would always be speaking about either Pyrrha, or Natsu.

Ruby looked around camp. Nora and Ren were still sleeping, but Jaune and Pyrrha's sleeping bags were mysteriously empty.

"Are you ready, Pyrrha?"

"Yes."

Hearing voices in the distance, Ruby was lured to a small clearing. Hiding behind a tree, she watched as Jaune and Pyrrha faced one another.

"Ok. Go."

Pyrrha closed her eyes and took a breath. She clenched her fists, visibly straining as she focused both her internal energies and the energies floating around her. Pebbles in the grass slowly began floating around her.

Jaune watched as a circle of fire appeared around Pyrrha's feet. When she opened her eyes the left one was glowing. The fire around her feet then grew, forcing Jaune to take a step back.

Pyrrha reached out her hand and it ignited in a golden blaze. This caused her intense pain, and she cried out.

"Pyrrha, maybe we should-"

"No! I can keep…going!"

Clenching her teeth to keep from shouting out further. Pyrrha aimed the fire on a tree past Jaune. With a shout she fired the blaze into the night. The tree was incinerated in a bright light, leaving only ash in its place.

Pyrrha's legs gave out and she collapsed onto her knees from the pain. Her chest was tight, her breath was short, her limbs were going numb, and her vision was blurring. It was taking everything she had to keep from completely passing out.

"Pyrrha, are you ok?! Here let me help."

Jaune threw Pyrrha's arm over his shoulder and helped her walk to a group of rocks before sitting her down. He could feel the heat from her arm on the nape of his neck. If it wasn't for his hoodie she might have burned him.

"That was amazing." He complimented. "You destroyed that tree without burning anything around it."

"It's not enough." Pyrrha stared at the hand she used to conjure the fire. "I have to get stronger."

"Pyrrha…"

"I can't defeat her like this. At this rate it will be the same result as last time."

"You're talking about Cinder?"

"She and I both possess the powers of the Fall Maiden, but she's had her powers much longer than I have. The things she can do…they're amazing as well as frightening." Pyrrha held up the edge of Natsu's scarf that hung from her waist. "I have to defeat her. Otherwise…"

Jaune noticed her hesitation. "Otherwise what?"

She tightened her grip on the scaled cloth. "…I won't be able to face him again."

Jaune unwittingly placed his hand on Pyrrha's. The sudden contact made her blush just a bit. "Don't worry. You'll get much stronger, because I'll be right here helping you. Well all will. You helped me get where I am today, so it only makes sense that I repay the favor."

"T-thank you, Jaune. I really appreciate that."

"What's wrong? Your face is red."

"I-it's nothing. Just…"

Jaune followed Pyrrha's eyes downward, when he saw where his hand was he quickly removed it.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"N-no. It's ok. Don't worry about it. It wasn't a problem."

With a small smile on her face from the scene, Ruby Rose returned to camp.

* * *

"We'll be arriving at Atlas shortly, sir."

"Very good. Notify me when we land."

"Yes, sir."

Ironwood exited the cockpit of the dropship. Walking through the corridor, he stopped at a lone door just past the holding cells. When the door slid open, Ironwood stepped inside the room. It was completely dark save for the assortment of lights in the back corner belonging to a safe.

* * *

Ironwood watched Winter's personal airship land in the safe zone. As soon as the wheels touched down the eldest Schnee sibling exited the ship.

"I'm sorry to call you on such short notice, Winter."

"No apologies necessary, sir. Is she ok?"

"Yes. Follow me." Ironwood escorted Winter to the tent that housed her sister. Weiss was currently sleeping, but Winter could see the distress on her face. She had been crying. A lot.

"Are you sure she managed a summon?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. A glyph appeared over her head and out came a giant armored arm. I'd never seen anything like it. It was even bigger than what I've seen you create."

Any other day Winter would have been proud of her sister, but due to the circumstances she was anything but. This was no time for celebration.

"She's just exhausted. She should be fine in a couple of hours."

"I see." There was a pregnant pause before Winter spoke again. "Where is he?"

"This way."

Ironwood and Winter walked to the restricted tent. The top had been patched up from Weiss' summon, and luckily nothing else inside had been disturbed.

Winter stood by Natsu's bedside. When she saw his lifeless face her body briefly went cold, but unlike Weiss she managed to keep her composure. She ran her fingers through his hair, it was still so soft. It hurt her deeply to see him like this, but as a soldier she could not show how this emotion. She had to remain resolute, though Ironwood would not have faulted her if she cried.

"I'm sorry, Winter. He fought bravely."

"I expected no less of him." She looked around at all of the machines. "What is all of this, sir? Why so many machines for a dead body?"

"I'd heard Ozpin mention before that Natsu has a unique physiology, one that even **he** had never seen before. I was hoping to analyze him and see just what made him so powerful. Perhaps we could use his abilities to strengthen our forces."

"You're using my brother as a lab experiment?" Winter's eyes narrowed. She held the utmost respect for General Ironwood, but this was the one thing she could not allow.

"It's nothing so callous, Winter. That woman. Cinder. She killed Amber and became the new Fall Maiden, but despite that Natsu was able to go toe to toe with her."

"An act that got him killed."

"Yes, but according to Pyrrha Nikos, who fought alongside him during the battle, Natsu sacrificed himself to save her. If he hadn't, he mostly likely would have defeated Cinder."

"You don't know that, sir. For all we know things could have turned out exactly the same."

"You can't deny that Natsu was strong. It was you who first introduced him to me if I recall."

"I'm not, and I know, but I also know that Natsu is...was just a child. He shouldn't have even been exposed to that kind of power; to this kind of battle. None of the students should have. Things only escalated to this level because of technology that **we** created to better people's lives being turned against us."

Ironwood grimaced upon remembering what happened to Penny. "Admittedly what happened with Penny was a tragic misstep, but this is different. I'm sure Natsu would be happy to know that his abilities would be used to help keep people both in his homeland and abroad safe."

"Please, sir." Winter bowed. "Ever since joining the military I have done everything you've asked of me. I never once questioned your orders or motives, and I firmly believe that your way is the right one when it comes to the safety and protection of Remnant and her people, but this is the one thing I cannot abide. Do not ask me to sit by and let my brother become an experiment. This will be the only thing I ever ask of you. Please allow him to be buried peacefully along with my ancestors. I beg you, James."

Ironwood was taken aback. It had been a long time since Winter called him by hos first name - she was one of the few in the military who was allowed to. He had never heard Winter speak so earnestly before. He could hear the slight quaking in her voice. She was fighting to keep it together. In that moment he made a decision.

"Understood. I will suspend the operation immediately."

When Winter rose Ironwood could see a single tear running down her cheek.

"Thank you, sir. I know my request was out of line and beyond selfish."

"No I was the selfish one. I should have known better than to use a child to further my own goals. Especially a family member of one of my most trusted officers. I hope you can forgive my callousness."

"Of course, sir. If you'll excuse me I must prepare for my Father's arrival."

"Yes. Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." Winter saluted and left the tent, leaving Ironwood alone with Natsu. He began turning off the machines, but not before spotting a needle laying on a medical tray

* * *

Ironwood finished punching in the code for the safe. Taking a moment for the retinal scan, the safe finally opened to reveal a small vial of blood. When he grabbed it his scroll sounded.

"Sir, we've landed back in Atlas."

"Very good. I'll be there shortly."

Ironwood placed the vial inside the inner pocket of his coat. "I'm sorry, Winter, but this is for the good of us all."

* * *

 **New chapter! Focusing more on Weiss and the rest of the Schnee family this time around . My explanation for Whitley was a tad haphazard, but I think in the grand scheme I made do with what I had.**

 **We also see a small glimpse of Pyrrha's half of the Maiden power. Part of me always thought that even though Cinder killed Amber, Pyrrha still took part of the power when the transfer took place and when Cinder killed her she took the rest of it. That obviously isn't the case here, so they both share the power. If I had to give it a a number I'd say Pyrrha has 30% to Cinder's 70%. Add in experience as well and Cinder is still much stronger.**

 **I know there was no Natsu in this chapter outside of flashbacks, but that will be fixed next time.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	44. Pieces Moving Parallel

Blake Belladonna slowly came to in a daze. Her eyes fluttering open, she was assaulted by a bright light. She reflexively winced.

"Hold still. I'm almost done."

A familiar voice – one she hadn't heard in a long time – somehow put her at ease. Easing her tense body, Blake let the mysterious nurse finish their work.

"There. All done. How do you feel?"

Blake slowly rose from the medical cot. Feeling a sharp tug she clutched her side. She could feel the pull of the sutures on her skin from where Adam stabbed her.

Adam Taurus. She knew one day that she would see him again, but she had no idea it would under such dire circumstances. So much destruction. So much death. It was terrible. Simply remembering what happened made her wounds ache again.

"Take it easy. You'll reopen your wound."

There was that calming voice again. Just who was underneath that mask and cap?

"You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you." The nurse removed the coverings, revealing deer horns and long brown hair tied in a bun. Blake's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Miss Verdant?"

"It's nice to see you Lady Blake. Though I wish it were under better conditions."

Verdant Cervidae, like Blake, was a medical doctor as well as a former member of the White Fang - though she chose to leave before they started their more violent crusades. At the time Blake despised Verdant for being a traitor to her people, but over time she grew to understand and even agree with her position. And now with everything that happened, she couldn't be happier to see her.

Blake hugged Verdant suddenly. This surprised the nurse, but she returned the gesture.

"You really shouldn't be moving so fast with those injuries."

Blake pulled back. "How are you here? Why?"

"Glynda contacted me. I'm a former student, so when she told me what happened to the school I came as quickly as I could to help treat the injured. I didn't expected to see you here though. To be honest I thought you were still apart of the White Fang. I'm glad that's no longer the case."

Blake looked away in shame. "I was in the White Fang…but I quit before coming to Beacon. The man who attacked-"

"Was Adam Taurus."

Blake was in shock. "How did you know?"

"I heard a few things here and there from the soldiers. I always knew the boy was a bit of a radical, but I never thought he would go this far. Robbing a train and corporate sabotage is one thing, but attacking a school full of innocent children is simply unforgiveable. How does this accomplish anything other than more problems for Faunus everywhere?"

Blake fell deeper into shame at Verdant's words. Actions similar to this one were the reason were why she left the White Fang. In fact it was Verdant who told Blake to be wary of Adam. She wished she had listened.

"I'm sorry, Lady Blake." Verdant bowed her head. "I know that you and Adam were…close."

"It's ok. It's not like that anymore. He stopped being the person I knew a long time ago."

With Verdant's help Blake got up from the cot and put on her clothes.

"…Have you talked to my parents?"

"No I haven't."

"Oh. Ok."

Verdant took notice of Blake's half-hearted response. "Something tells me you haven't spoken to them either."

Blake didn't respond.

"I won't pry into your personal life, but with everything that's happened I think it would benefit you to go home to Menagerie. I'm sure your parents would be happy to know that you're safe and sound."

Blake knew Verdant was right, but she wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the suggestion. Her last conversation with her parents wasn't exactly a loving one, especially when it came to her father.

Blake checked over Gambol Shroud as Verdant washed her supplies. There were a couple of nicks and scratches in the blade, but it was nothing a trip to a blacksmith wouldn't fix. She sheathed her weapon and made for the doorway of the tent, but stopped before exiting.

"My friends…are they ok?"

"You mean your teammates?" Verdant replied. "Ruby Rose was taken home by her uncle, and the Schnee girl is currently being patched up in another tent. I can tell you where they are if you like."

"That's ok…what about Yang?"

Verdant paused for a moment, her mood noticeably lowering. "Unfortunately the medics were unable to reattach her arm, but she's still alive and that's what matters. It will be a long road, but if she's anything like her parent's she'll bounce back."

"You knew her parents?"

Verdant nodded. "Very well. That's how I know she'll be fine." She smiled to try an allay Blake's doubts. It did little.

"Thank you for everything, Miss Verdant."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to get some air."

"Alright. Don't strain yourself too much. You're still healing as well."

"I won't." With that Blake finally left the tent.

Verdant looked at her reflection in the sink water. The frustration that had been slowly building in her finally erupted, and she slammed her fist on the counter, thinking of the conditions of Natsu and Yang.

"Dammit, Raven. Where were you?"

* * *

Blake aimlessly wandered the safe zone. All around her were medical tents and broken buildings. The Grimm had left less than nothing standing. Rebuilding the town would be easy, but mending broken trust and fixing shattered hearts would take much longer.

Despite what she told Verdant, Blake wanted nothing more than to see her teammates – her friends. But would they want to see her? Weiss and Ruby would most likely be happy to know that she was alright, but what about Yang?

What happened to her was her fault - at least that's what she believed. Adam hurt Yang to hurt Blake for hurting him. It was a vicious cycle that culminated in the maiming of an innocent. Blake had never seen him so angry before.

Even during his most radical speeches for the White Fang he exuded this frightening calm that made it easy for the misguided - herself included - to follow him, but the fight at Beacon was something else. On are occasions he would be known to give in to his anger, but what Blake saw was something much more primal and frightening.

 _"You and I were going to change the world! We were destined to light the fires of revolution!"_

Blake saw no merit in the type of change Adam spoke of. At one time she might have, but those days were long behind her.

 _"I wanted equality! I wanted peace!"_

Were those even attainable anymore? After everything that happened Blake felt her goal had gotten that much farther away. How could anyone see Faunus as other than dangerous after this attack?

"Blake!"

She he heard Sun call out to her, but she didn't turn around right away. She wanted to pretend that she hadn't heard him and keep moving, but that would be rude. With a sigh she waited for him, watching as he ran around to the front of her. Bandages were wrapped around his perpetually exposed abdomen, but they didn't seem to slow him down. He was still smiling.

"I'm glad you're ok. I was looking everywhere."

"Yeah. Me too."

Blake's response was a half-hearted one. She wanted to finish this conversation as soon as possible and continue onward. Sun however would not make that feat an easy one.

"Have you seen the others yet?"

"No. I haven't."

"Yeah me either." He laughed. "The guys and I were just about to check on Ruby."

"She's gone. Her uncle took her home."

"Oh. Guess that means Yang's gone too."

"Yang's still here."

"Really? That's weird. Why would he take Ruby and not Yang?"

"I don't know."

Blake kept her answers short in the hopes Sun would get the hint. He didn't.

"Well…do you want to go see her with us?"

"No."

"Yeah I guess it would be kind of weird if we all just piled in there at once. They'd probably kick us out anyway. Well do you wanna-"

"Sun."

The monkey boy snapped at attention. "Yes?"

"I want to be alone for a while. Ok?"

Sun's spirits fell, but he understood. "Y-yeah. Of course. Sorry for bothering you."

"It's fine. I'm glad you're feeling better." Blake continued on, leaving behind a distraught Sun.

"See you later."

* * *

As Blake drew further and further away from the center of the camp she saw something in the distance. Near the edge of the northern perimeter was a single medical tent. Aside from it's position, the other interesting thing about it was that it was being guarded by two Atlas soldiers.

Her curiosity getting the best of her, Blake moved closer. When she was close enough she snuck under the side of the tent when the guards weren't looking. Inside was very advanced medical equipment and devices.

"What is all of this for?"

She looked at a screen on one of the machines. It displayed the x-rays of a man who was apparently deceased, but their physiology was unlike Blake had ever seen in a school textbook. On the joints there were little nodes, as well what appeared to be two pods in the subject's stomach.

"Is this a new Atlas weapon?" She thought of Penny, more specifically her death. "What are they trying to do?"

Past the medical equipment she saw a cot covered in a white sheet, whoever this data was on was most likely under it.

Blake slowly moved to the cot, her eyes every so often checking the entrance for the guards. She reached for the sheet, her finger shaking ever so slightly. Whoever was under here was dead, but Blake had to know who it was.

She pulled back the sheet. When she saw the face of the young man her heart stopped for a moment.

"Na…Nats…"

She couldn't even utter his name. The shock took away all of her air.

"This can't be right. It has to be a mistake. Natsu's not-" Blake immediately recalled her fight with Adam.

 _"If you don't want to indulge me, I suppose I will have to seek him out once more and finish the job."_

That was the only explanation Blake could think of.

 _Adam found Natsu and…and he…_

Tears pooled in the corners of Blake's eyes.

 _"You wanted him! But now you see that is impossible! That boy was the one who put those lies into your head! He corrupted you!"_

It all came together. A punch to the heart. Blake finally realized what Adam meant by those words. Adam's jealousy and rage, it was a result of her feelings for Natsu. How could she not have seen it? Or rather why did it take her so long to realize how she felt?

Yang's injury was worse enough, but this…Blake simply couldn't take it. Unable to bear the weight anymore she fell to her knees, and buried her hands in her face; her quiet sobs somehow not attracting the guards' attention.

How could she face Weiss now? What would she say to Pyrrha?

 _"Kitty!"_

 _"…Kitty?"_

 _"Because you have cat ears."_

She'd done nothing but hurt him. The fire, the battle on the highway, and finally his death. From the moment they met that all she ever did was cause him pain.

 _"Blake, did you hear?!"_

 _"Could you keep it down? I'm trying to read. Hear what?"_

 _"Natsu and Pyrrha are finally going out!"_

 _"Oh…they are?"_

 _"Yeah! Isn't it great?! I was starting to think it would never happen!"_

 _"Yeah. That's…that's really great, Ruby. I'm happy for them."_

She was his black cat. An eternal symbol of misfortune. She didn't deserve to say how she felt. It was a self thought, but it was better that way. Just being around him as his friend was enough, but where was she when she needed him most?

 _"I made a promise. No matter what you did in the past, I'll always be your friend."_

Her cries intensified.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I…I…"

"…This is a restricted area for medical personnel only."

Blake whipped around to the entrance. Someone was outside.

"May I ask why it's restricted?"

The second voice froze Blake on the spot.

 _Weiss?!_

"That's classified."

Blake quickly wiped her tears and moved to the bed. She couldn't look at Natsu's face as she replaced the sheet. As her teammate continued arguing with the guards Blake made her escape from the same way she entered. She ran out of the safe area and into the city, fighting back her tears alone the way.

"Please forgive me."

* * *

The calls of gulls awoke Blake just as they had the past two days. She sat up in her bed, the gentle rocking of the boat keeping her somewhat unsteady. She trotted to her bathroom and looked in the mirror.

The bags were still under her eyes. It made sense. Before getting on the boat she hadn't had a good night's sleep in nearly a week, and even then she wouldn't have called her rest in the cabin all that peaceful.

The nightmares persisted. If she wasn't being chased by Grimm, she was being pursued by Adam. If that weren't happening she was being yelled at by her teammates or Natsu for abandoning them in Vale. There were a lot of things she had to atone for, but for now she would keep running. That was her specialty after all.

After cleaning herself up she proceeded to the upper deck. The air was thick with salt from the sea, but the scent wasn't completely unpleasant. In fact Blake sort of welcomed it, it was a much more appealing smell than blood and smoke.

Not far from her the other passengers on the boat were enjoying the beautiful day. Adults talked about this and that while children played to their hearts content. Any other time Blake would enjoy the happiness these people experienced, but she was much too paranoid now. Anyone could be an enemy, and they could show themselves at any time. She had to be ready to defend herself.

"All by yourself?"

Blake readied Gambol Shroud. Her instincts on high alert, she saw the captain of the boat in front of her with his hands raised in surrender.

"Whoa now. Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk."

Blake slowly relaxed her grip, but she was still wary of the captain's motives. "What do you need?"

"Just an answer to a question." He leaned over the ship's railing. "Not many people travel alone by boat. To be honest it can be quite the lonely ride. Though in my experience those that do manage it tend to have…interesting stories."

Blake reflexively clenched her fist and looked over the railing as well. "Maybe some people just prefer to be alone. It's better that way." The shouts of passing children put her on edge again and she gripped her weapon. The captain laughed.

"You might be right, but as paranoid as you are a few friends might do you some good."

"What makes you think I'm paranoid?" Blake sniped.

The captain laughed again. "Nothing. Just an old man's intuition. I'll leave you to it, but some friendly advice: these trips tend to be rather dull."

When the captain left Blake stared out at the ocean again. Boring was just what she needed. Boring was safe. Boring meant that no one would get hurt.

Seeing her reflection in the clear water, she reached up and undid her bow, revealing her cat ears.

She looked at the long black ribbon. Putting it on had become second nature at this point. How long had she worn it? Just how long was she hiding from who she really was? The answer to both was "too long".

"I don't need you anymore."

She opened her hand and let the breeze carry the ribbon into the sea. She returned to her cabin, not realizing the cloaked figure watching her from afar, or the monster hidden just beneath the water's surface.

* * *

Yang sat on the couch in her home in Patch, her somewhat empty stare focused on the blank television before her.

Things had been quiet since Ruby left home, but Yang didn't seem to mind it all that much. At least her father and Zwei were still around to make noise if necessary.

Her memory of the Fall was still hazy, she hardly remembered her time in the medical tent. She was heavily sedated at the time, no doubt due to what happened to her.

To her right were a stack of books, but they only reminded her of what she lost. Becoming sinistral was a challenge, Yang had always been right-handed, but there was nothing she could do about it now. Fate had dealt its hand, and she could only keep the left.

Trying to prevent yet another day of brooding from overtaking her she reached for the remote and turned on the TV. As if fate was playing with her once again, the news channel was reporting about the clean-up in Vale. It wasn't going well.

"…Try as they might the efforts of the local huntsmen and huntresses have all been for naught. There is still no telling when the situation at Beacon Academy will return to normal."

Yang changed the channel. Another news feed.

"While safeguards have allowed wireless support within the kingdom, laws of the CCT Tower still prevent communications with the outside world. Atlas officials have yet to give-"

Another change of the channel. Yet another news report.

"The Vale Council continues its ban on all air traffic not related to evacuation. The council has made a clear statement that-"

When Yang changed the channel for a fourth time she was caught by the headline: "White Fang Member, Adam Taurus, Present During Beacon Grimm Attack"

"Rumors are still circulating just as to who was behind the attack on Beacon Academy during the Vytal Festival some few months ago, but multiple sources have indicated that high ranking White Fang Member, Adam Taurus was spotted during the incident. Any attempts to arrest him have been met with brutal force and-"

Yang finally turned off the TV. Just seeing his picture brought back the phantom pain.

"I'm home!"

The door unlocked and in walked her father Taiyang with bags on his arms and boxes in his hands.

"Hey, Dad." Yang's greeting was lethargic, but Taiyang powered through it.

"Guess what came in today!"

"What?"

"You're gonna love it! Trust me! I can't wait for you to see it." Taiyang set his baggage in the kitchen and returned to his daughter with one long box in hand. He placed it on the table before her. "So?"

"For me?" From the thud on the table she could tell that whatever it was in the box was heavy.

"Of course it is. Go on. Give it a look."

At her father's urging Yang opened the box. Inside was a shiny metal prosthetic.

"Top of the line, state of the art, Atlas hardware. This baby isn't even on the market yet." Taiyang smiled proudly. "At first I thought I was going to have to do some maneuvering, maybe even get my hands dirty, but nope. This was all you, kiddo. You earned it."

"What?" Yang was at a loss. How did she earn something like this when she did nothing but mope for nearly a year?

"Before I even opened my mouth General Ironwood had his best people working on this for you." he explained. "He said it was a present for your bravery during the attack. You should be proud."

Proud? Out of all the emotions to describe how Yang felt that one was squarely at the bottom of the list, right above happiness. What was there to be proud of? she thought.

She had been beaten, humiliated, and maimed. Those aren't the qualities of a proud huntress, they were the qualities of a helpless victim.

"Don't leave me in suspense. You gonna try it on?"

Yang started to slump. "Not…Not right now. I'm kind of out of it. Later?"

Her father sighed in disappointment, but he knew he couldn't rush her. "Yeah. Take your time. It'll be here."

"Thanks, Dad."

Yang rose from the couch and somberly walked into the kitchen. She grabbed the broom, walked outside, and she started to sweep the porch.

Chores were the only thing Yang could do to retain some sense of normalcy. She cleaned around the house, checked the mail, and did whatever else she could to prove to herself that she wasn't completely useless. That task was easier said than done however.

Every now again she received letters from Ruby detailing her progress towards Mistral. Yang always read them, but she never responded.

What would she write about? How miserable she was? How much she wished she was fighting with her instead of sitting at home? How useless she felt as both a Huntress and a sister?

There was no need. Ruby probably knew all of these things already.

The final thing left for Yang to do was wash the dishes. It took some doing to complete the task one-handed, but Yang was anything if not resourceful.

Rinsing out the final glass, Yang started to put it on the draining rack when it slipped from her fingers and crashed on the floor.

As soon as the glass shattered Yang heard the slash of Adam's sword ring in her ears. With a frightened gasp she stumbled backward, catching herself on the stove. She was hyperventilating, but managed to calm her breathing enough to slow her heartrate to normal.

"Dammit."

She slammed her fist on the countertop and took one last breath. She was still afraid. No matter how much she tried to deny it.

* * *

Blake watched from the deck as the setting sun painted the ocean with its red orange light. She tried to go sleep, but every time she closed her eyes she had the same nightmares. If she could, she would choose to forget everything. Just wipe her mind clean of Vale and start anew, but she couldn't. She would have to bear these sins the rest of her life.

When the night came ever closer on the horizon, Blake thought it best to turn in for the night. Even with the nightmares, sleep was something she couldn't afford to ignore for long.

As she made her way to the door leading below deck, her ears twitched. Someone was watching her. She'd felt their gaze on her for the past number of hours, but this was the first time she was able to fully notice them. Without hesitation she reached for Gambol Shroud and shot a glare at the upper deck.

"Who are you?!"

The cloaked figure scurried away. Blake thought to follow, but the waves started getting rougher. She turned back to the ocean, watching as a large serpentine Grimm rose from the depths.

"Red alert!"

At the lookout's shout the alarm started blaring throughout the ship. The Captain and his first mate ran out to scout the situation.

"By the gods." Was the Captain's astounded reaction upon seeing the monster. "All hands! Battle Stations!"

"But we've never encountered a Grimm this big!" argued the first mate.

"You may be right about that, but this ship isn't going down without a fight!"

Blake leapt out from the railing. Using Gambol Shroud she swung herself around the monster and shot at its back before landing back on the ship's deck. He attack had no effect.

The captain turned hard to port, narrowly avoiding the creature when it surged forward to attack. As Blake provided a distraction, side panels housing the ship's cannons opened up and began firing on the beast. Blake was flung back to the deck in the melee, her arm slamming hard against the wood.

"Hold steady, men!" the captain ordered. "It's not over yet! Ready the heavy cannon!"

A large cannon rose from a door in the middle of the deck, its barrel aimed at the monster.

The Sea Dragon inched forward, its dorsal fins folding inward. Large wings suddenly spread from its back and the creature took to the air. The force it used to flap its wings almost blew Blake off of the ship.

"Open fire!"

At the captain's command the heavy cannon fired a shell. The beast nimbly dodged the attack. It coiled its body, a ball of electricity crackling from its now open mouth. Blake prepared to intercept, when the cloaked figure that was stalking her used her head as a spring board.

"What are you-"

The stranger launched into the air, cloak flying off in mid-air to Sun Wukong. Blake was shocked.

Sun focused his energies, creating two clones that aided him in diverting the Sea Dragon's attack into the air above the ship.

Sun struggled to hang onto the Sea Dragon's whiskers as it erratically flew through the air. With a small bolt of electricity the monster managed to shake its unwanted passenger, causing him to enter free fall.

Thinking quickly Blake flung herself from the top of ship using Gambol Shroud and caught Sun before he hit the water. The two landed on a nearby island.

"My hero." Sun swooned. Blake quickly dropped him in the dirt. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Why are you here?!"

"From the looks of it helping you fight that Grimm."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just come on."

"You got it."

As the pair ran back into the fray, the ship was doing all it could not to get sunk by the Sea Dragon's electrical volley.

"Starboard defenses are down, sir!"

"Is the heavy cannon still online?"

"Aye, but that thing is too fast for us to hit!"

"Not giving us many options here." The captain started to weigh his options. "How are the engines?"

"Still at full power, Captain."

"Good! Then we still got a chance!"

Blake and Sun landed back on the ship not long after, the latter deflecting another beam aimed at the ship with his Bo staff.

"Huntsmen!"

The two looked to the Captain on the upper deck.

"If you can lure it to the boat and clip its wings we can handle the rest!"

Blake and Sun exchanged looks.

"My weapons aren't really sharp…so~."

Blake huffed in annoyance. Of course she was given the hard job.

Sun jumped from the heavy cannon, creating clones to get Blake airborne. When she was above the Sea Dragon, she remembered something.

She loaded Gambol Shroud with a fire dust crystal and fell. Avoiding beams the monster fired her way, she started to spin in mid-air, her body coated in flames from her weapon.

Sun recognized what she was doing. "Isn't that…?"

The fireball hit the Grimm's left wing, incinerating it, while the real Blake slashed into the right. The Grimm howled in pain and sunk back into the depths. Blake was caught by Sun on her way down.

"Now it's your turn." He prompted. Blake rolled her eyes again and quickly got out of his arms. "Or maybe later. It's cool. So hey…that move you just did. Wasn't that-"

Before Sun could finish his question the rock formation they were on started to fall into the ocean.

"That thing still isn't dead?!"

"Go!"

Blake and Sun hopped from formation to formation, the Sea Dragon pursuing them closely from below the sea. Every mass they jumped from was quickly destroyed by the rampaging beast.

The Captain watched the chase from his telescope. When the group was close enough he shifted the boat to ramming speed.

The Sea Dragon was hot on Sun's heels. He jumped from a falling mass just as the beast finally rose from the ocean. Its mouth wide, the Grimm was denied its meal by Blake, who had swung in the save her reckless companion.

Their momentum gone, Blake and Sun hung helplessly as the Sea Dragon readied a blast for what would surely be their final moments.

Blake's racing heart began to slow.

However, before the creature could fire, the ship rammed into it.

"Fire!"

The heavy cannon now dead center, the Sea Dragon's head was obliterated by one powerful shell. The rest of its body disintegrated into shadows as it sunk back into the blue. While the crew and Sun celebrated, Blake breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Up top!"

Sun's high-five was answered with a hard slap to the face courtesy of Blake.

* * *

"It was nothing. Really. You guys just enjoy the rest of your trip. We can handle anything else that comes your way. You can count on us."

Blake watched as Sun talked to more passengers on the boat. After the Sea Dragon was defeated the smooth ride had returned. The crew and passengers were all grateful for what the two young Huntsmen had done, but Blake was not in a celebratory mood.

"Geez. You think these guys had never seen a fight before."

"Why are you here, Sun?"

Sun's attempt at a joke was quickly shot down by Blake, but he remained persistent.

"Digging the new outfit. Never was a fan of the bow." He reached for Blake's ears. She quickly slapped his hand down.

"I'm serious! Did you follow me?!"

Sun's smiled faded when he saw Blake's angered stare. The time for jokes was over.

"I saw you run away the night Beacon tower fell. I was trying to find you so we could talk some more, but you took off after coming out of that weird tent."

Blake calmed down a bit and leaned on the railing. She thought she was discreet when she left Natsu's tent, but clearly that was not the case.

"What was in there that made you run anyway? What did you see?"

"Nothing. I didn't see anything."

"Then why did you run off?"

"It's…complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"No I get it."

Blake looked to Sun with widened eyes.

"I know exactly what you were planning. You're going on a one woman crusade against the White Fang!"

Blake's spirits crashed through the wood of the deck. "Are you insane?"

"It makes sense. You've always said that the White Fang was your problem, right? They attacked your school and hurt your friends. Of course you'd want revenge."

Blake facepalmed. "I can't believe what I'm hearing."

"If you think I'm gonna let you go this alone you're crazy. I mean it's a noble mission, sure, but you're gonna need all the help you can get. So consider me onboard!" Sun put his arm around Blake. "Us Faunus gotta watch out for each other, right?"

Blake shoved him away. "You're wrong."

"About what?"

"Everything. I'm staying far away from the White Fang. At least for now."

"Really?" Sun was more confused than upset.

"I need to figure some things out." Blake explained.

"Ok. So just do it with your team. You know? Your friends?"

"That's funny coming from you." Blake snapped. "Isn't this the second time you've stowed away on a ship by yourself? Or did Neptune get over his phobia and hide below deck with Sage and Scarlet?"

"If you think Neptune is over his fear of water you're insane. They're all back in Mistral. I told them I'd meet up with them later. So If you're not going after the White Fang…where are you going?"

"Menagerie. My home."

Sun sighed and sat on the boat railing.

"Guess that means I'm going too."

"Sun-"

"You saw it, the Grimm are getting worse by the day, and just because **you** aren't going after the White Fang doesn't mean they aren't still targeting you. Also…I'm already on the boat."

Blake had to admit that Sun had a point, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"There's really nothing I can say to stop you is there?"

"Nope." Sun smiled wide and gave Blake a peace sign. "This'll be awesome! I've never been to Menagerie. It'll be a good ole journey to the east! Just like that one story!"

With a wry grin Blake walked away. "Do what you want. I'm going to get some sleep."

"Blake, wait."

She stopped walking, but didn't turn around. "What is it?"

"That attack you did on the Grimm…it was the same one Natsu did at the Vytal festival wasn't it? I heard about what happened to him." Sun bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I know how close you guys used to be."

"Goodnight, Sun." She walked below deck.

He was right of course, what she did was similar to the Meteor technique Natsu used during the festival – though on a much smaller scale.

She didn't know why she did it, her body just moved on its own. Perhaps she thought it would partly make up for what she did.

When she reached her room she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her face was oddly calm, just like it was before.

For a fleeting moment, right before the ship rammed into the Grimm, Blake's entire life flashed before her eyes. In that brief second between the Sea Dragon firing its beam and the ship ramming it Blake felt this overwhelming sense of calm and peace throughout her body.

She knew in that moment that she could die, but there was no fear or anger; there was only relief. For that brief second she believed she was going to die, and she was perfectly ok with that.

* * *

Cinder's heavy breathing could be heard echoing throughout the mostly empty meeting chamber. Alone she sat with Salem at the table while Mercury and Emerald watched from the doorway.

Nearly every day was like this. Cinder would struggle and struggle, pain coursing through every fiber of her body as she tried to regain feeling in the right half of her body.

"Can you feel it?" Salem asked. "Do not resist, girl. It can sense your reluctance. Make **it** submit to **you**."

What Salem was speaking of was Cinder's power. Due to Ruby Rose's attack she had lost control. Her nerves were on fire, causing her an endless stream of pain. If it weren't for her nature she would have given in a long time ago.

A light clicking could be heard coming from the hallway. Cinder saw a faint light in the doorway, watching a jellyfish like Grimm ominously floated into the room from the darkness. Mercury and Emerald gave it a wide berth with grimaces on their faces.

It was known as a Seer. A small non-combative Grimm that allowed Salem to keep tabs on the forces she had spread throughout the land.

"Cinder, I will ask you this one last time, and I expect a clear answer. Did you kill Ozpin?"

Cinder beckoned Emerald to come over.

"No! **You** tell me. With your **own** mouth."

Salem's shout and glowing eyes frightened Cinder and she faced her. Emerald swiftly stepped back to her position at the door. ""

Her throat burning, Cinder managed to rasp out an answer.

"Ye…Yes."

"Strengthen our forces at Beacon." Salem ordered to the Seer. "The relic is there, and update me on Fafnir's condition."

The Seer floated away.

"Are you worried about him regaining his memories?" Salem asked Cinder.

Cinder looked away.

"I know you've grown quite… **attached** to him during your time together both at Beacon and here. I understand. Fafnir is a very special boy. Perhaps you already know, but his is also something of an anomaly. More specifically he should not even be in this world to begin with."

Cinder looked to her master, her eye widened in intrigue. With a grin Salem waved Mercury and Emerald over to the table.

"Allow me to tell you all the tale of 'The Boy that fell from the sky'."

* * *

Somewhere far away, a young man awoke from his slumber with a gasp. He looked out of the window, the sun was just starting rise. It was time to get started on the morning chores.

He left the top room of the barn and walked to the doors. He pushed them open with added energy than usual, the warm sunlight flooding into the barn and illuminating the green pastures sprawled out before him. A content smile on his face he began to work.

He brought the bucket next to the door to a rusted hand pump a little ways down the dirt road. He cranked the level, clear water flowing from the faucet into the bucket. As the rusty lever creaked his mind drifted away.

He had been having the same dreams for months. Vicious monsters with red eyes and sharp teeth, a woman with pale white skin and dark eyes, and a boy with pink hair and a wide smile. He didn't know what these images meant, but the more they popped into his head, the more he felt he should. Lost in thought, he failed to notice the bucket had overflowed. His stopped pumping and dropped his shoulders with a sigh.

"Great."

Not long after pumping water he began to toil the soil. The growing season was slow this year. He wondered if it was due to the lack of rain. Nearly every day was too cold or too hot for the plants to grow naturally.

Taking a break, he looked to the horizon. An airship passing by made him wonder just what the world beyond the farm was like.

He could feel that out there somewhere, something was starting. Something ominous.

* * *

Fafnir, Tyrian, and Neopolitan all disembarked the air ship in the middle of an unknown field. After hours of travel they had finally arrived in the continent of Anima.

Fafnir nearly fell over when he touched the ground. He never could handle riding vehicles. He wondered why his mother wouldn't just let them ride Griffons into the kingdom and just lay waste to it, but he surmised that that would probably draw way too much attention.

As he came closer and closer to falling in the dirt. Neopolitan caught him. Her small frame helping keeping him upright until his nausea passed.

"Thanks, Neo. I'll be fine in a minute."

"What's wrong, lizard? You have a tummy ache?" Tyrian's started laughing until Neopolitan pointed her blade at his throat. This only increased his elation. "Make sure you cut something vital, little doggy."

Neopolitan tensed. One swift movement and Tyrian's blood would paint the grass.

"Neo."

Reluctantly, she lowered her blade at Fafnir's call.

"I guess the doggy only bites when its Master tells her too." Tyrian taunted.

A revived Fafnir stepped forward. "Last time I checked you were no different when it came to orders from Mother, bug." His eyes blazed beneath his mask. Any trace of his motion sickness was completely gone. In fact he looked better than before. "We might be working together, but that doesn't mean we have to take your crap. If you mess with her again, I'll kill you myself."

Tyrian knew very well that Fafnir would act on his threat if provoked, but he still laughed. "I like you, Lizard. I see why the Queen values you so highly."

"Don't forget it." Fafnir looked around the field. They were surrounded on all sides by trees. "Where are we going anyway?"

"The Queen says the little one and her friends were heading to Mistral."

"Ok? Where in the hell is that?"

Neopolitan tugged on Fafnir's sleeve.

"What's up?"

She pointed east.

"Guess we're going that way then. Did Mother give us a time frame to complete the job?"

Neopolitan shook her head. Fafnir grinned.

"Good. That means we can have a little bit of fun before we bring her back."

"Don't forget we have to return her alive." Tyrian smirked.

"Alive and healthy are two completely different things."

Fafnir lead the way into the forest as Tyrian's maniacal laughter echoed in the air.

The hunt had begun.

* * *

 **New chapter!**

 **I've been wanting to finish this one for a little while, but I had to make sure it was just right. Obviously the main focus on the chapter was Blake. As Natsu's oldest friend I wanted to accurately portray just how his death affected her. if it wasn't properly conveyed before, Blake has feelings for Natsu, and a good majority of her time this arc will be with her dealing with those feelings as well as matters with the White Fang and Team RWBY. She really has a lot on her plate.**

 **I finally introduced Oscar in this chapter. His scenes were one of the pet peeves I had with Volume 4 as a whole. I know he was important for reasons I won't spoil for those who have may have not caught up, but I feel like his screen time could have been cut down, or a bulk of his scenes could have fit in one episode. Switching from him just made the pacing feel a bit off since we never really knew what time it was between scenes.**

 **Yang got some screentime, but we'll dive deeper into her psyche later. Now that Fafnir's group is in Anima, things are gearing up for a pretty ferocious confrontation between them and RWBY's group.**

 **A problem I feel I have sometimes is that I make the characters (mostly the heroes) sound too similar, so I wanted to start to rectify that this arc. We'll see how it goes.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :D**


	45. Questions With No Answers

Ash, smoke, fire, and death. The familiar sights, sounds, and smells invaded Fafnir's being at once. Before him were the burning remains of the city of Vale and Beacon Academy. He saw his comrades sifting through the remains of the wreckage for the relics, Grimm sniffing out their next meal, and hundreds of Huntsmen dead at his feet.

Normally he would laugh at such a sight. These were all the kingdom had to offer in the way of protection of such powerful artifacts? It was pitiful. It was like taking candy from children.

He reached down, picking up the lifeless corpse of Ruby Rose. She fought hard, but in the end not even her silver eyes – which had been gouged out after her death – could save her from her fate. Fafnir tossed her body onto the many piles of the dead.

Moving away more bodies Fafnir next found the remains of Pyrrha Nikos. Out of all of Beacon's protectors she had proven to be the most troublesome. That was no doubt due to the small amount of Maiden's power within her. Fafnir remembered the rush he felt when he plunged his sword in her back, her pained gasp was music to his ears.

However now that he saw her face, he couldn't help but feel…sorry for her. In fact he felt a shred of guilt for all of the dead that lay at his feet.

There were two faunus - a boy and a girl - next to one another with holes in their hearts courtesy of Adam Taurus. The Schnee heiress was dead near the body of her elder sister and General James Ironwood. Fafnir himself saw to their demise. Finally, Pyrrha Nikos' teammates were at the bottom of the pile, their deaths having come at the hands of Emerald and Mercury.

The longer Fafnir looked at them, the odder he felt. For some reason the sight of his dead enemies saddened him to a degree. It was more than empathy a warrior would give to a worthy opponent. He felt a connection to these people.

 _How long are you going to sleep?_

Fafnir heard a faint voice within his mind. Someone - a woman - was calling out to him…or at least he thought they were.

 _Is your resolve so weak? You were taught better._

Fafnir ran into the Emerald Forest in search of the voice's origin. During the fierce battle nearly all of the trees had been burned away, leaving nothing but scorched earth and ashes.

In ruins in the center of the forest he saw a figure in heavy shadow, but their red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

"Seeing you in this state disappoints me greatly." the figure said. "Had I known you were this easy to manipulate I'd have never wasted my time."

Black flames licked around Fafnir's hands. "Who the hell are you? Another one of Ozpin's puppets?"

"You know full well who I am. You just refuse to wake up and see clearly."

"What are you talking about? Wake up from what?"

The figure unsheathed a katana with a long purple blade. Fafnir readied himself for a fight.

"Fine if you don't want to answer me I'll just have to beat what i want out of you."

Fafnir watched the figure raise their sword, only for them to slash the space behind them. A portal swirling with purple energy opened in the space.

"You don't have much time left. I suggest you hurry along."

The figure entered the portal.

* * *

"Wait!"

Fafnir rose up from his sleeping bag with a start. He looked down to his hands, they were shaking again. When he clenched his fists the shaking stopped.

"Who was that person? They sounded like they knew me. I should really stop eating Grimm meat before bed."

By the height of the moon outside of Fafnir's tent it was late evening. It wouldn't be long before the sun rose. Fafnir stretched his arms and stepped outside, the grass was still a bit damp from the rain earlier in the day. Taking a whiff of the crisp night air, Fafnir soon spotted an open umbrella angled on the grass on the edge of the hill overlooking the rest of the forest. He walked over to the umbrella and saw Neopolitan tinkering with her prosthetic leg.

"Couldn't sleep?"

The mute shook her head and looked to him, her mellowed gaze asking the same question.

"Bad dream."

Neopolitan briefly nodded and returned to her leg as Fafnir sat down next to her.

"Has it been bothering you? Can you walk?"

Neopolitan grabbed her scroll and typed out a message.

 **It's fine. Just a little stiff because of the rain. What was your dream about?**

"Same old same old. Death, fire, destruction. My three favorite things."

 **Then what was bad about it?**

"Nothing you need to worry about right now."

Neopolitan's eyes narrowed in irirtation at Fafnir. He responded by smiling and patting her head.

"Sorry, but seriously don't worry about it. Where's the bug?"

 **Hunting for food. Do we really have to work with him? It would be much better if you and I just did away with him and finished the job ourselves.**

"Yeah it would, but Mother gave him the job first, remember? We're just tagging along. Just put up with him a little longer, alright?"

With a resigned sigh and a rool of her eyes Neopolitan nodded in acceptance of her partner's wishes.

 **If you say so I will follow your lead, but I don't like this.**

"Noted. I'm going to get dressed. We're moving out when he gets back." Just before he left he felt Neopolitan tug on his pant leg.

"What's up?"

Neopolitan pointed to her face. Fafnir was confused.

"I don't see anything."

Neopolitan rolled her eyes and typed another message on her scroll.

 **Where is your mask?**

"Inside the tent. Don't worry I won't forget it, Weiss."

Neopolitan raised an eyebrow. Fafnir instantly caught his mistake.

"Neo! I won't forget my mask, Neo. Sorry I guess I'm still a little tired." He laughed weakly.

Neopolitan let go and watched Fafnir walk away with a very distressed look on her face. He was slipping again. She remembered the words Salem told her before they left.

 _"This assignment will be a test of Fafnir's loyalty. The silver-eyed girl and her comrades were once very important to him. He managed to come out of their first encounter unscathed, but that may not last. Until Watts returns your job is to make sure that he stays the course. I trust you know what needs to be done should he slip."_

Neopolitan looked to the tip of her umbrella. The blade was out. With a firm nod she accepted her secondary mission and continued working on her leg.

As the sun rose in the distance, a raven soared overhead.

* * *

Another day, another long morning spent working the fields. Tired after gathering bales of hay, the dark-haired boy walked back to the barn. For a break.

Placing the pitchfork back where he found it, he stopped at the sink hanging on the barn wall. Looking into the dusty mirror, a strange sensation coursed through him.

He couldn't quite put it into words, but he had the notion that the person staring back through the mirror wasn't him. Well it was, but he could feel something else inside of him. A separate consciousness, but one not completely foreign. He called out to it.

"H-Hello?"

No response. What did he expect? Mirrors don't talk.

 _Maybe I'm just tired._

"Hello! My name is Professor Ozpin!"

The sudden voice made the boy shout in fright. He tripped, landing flat on his back on bales of hay on the barn floor. He placed his hand on his chest. His heart was racing a mile a minute.

 _What was that?!_

"Oscar?!" the boy heard his mother call from outside. "Be careful around those tools! We can't afford another hospital trip."

* * *

Neopolitan lead the way through the forest, Fafnir and Tyrian not far behind. Without much to go on, the trio were stuck wandering from town to town in an attempt to track down their prey. Neopolitan was silent as always, Tyrian was elated at the prospect of interrogating townspeople, but Fafnir was agitated.

"That ship couldn't drop us any closer?" He complained. "It's been a days and we haven't found anything."

"Patience is a virtue, Lizard." Tyrian snickered. "We'll find them soon enough. Then we can have all the fun we want."

"Don't forget that the Rose girl is mine."

"Not if I get to her first."

The two stared one another down. Their glare's intensifying, they were forcibly separated by Neopolitan.

She pointed further down the hill. At the bottom was a rather sizable village.

"Good job, Neo." Fafnir praised. "We can ask the people there for information."

"And if they won't cooperate then we'll have to be…persuasive." Tyrian licked his lips in anticipation and the trio made their way into the unsuspecting town.

* * *

"We got everything?"

"Yes. That's the last of it."

"We're all set, Coco."

"Alright, time to head out. Come on, Velvet."

"R-right."

Velvet Scarlatina hurried behind her team as they made their way out of the inn.

For the past number of months Team CFVY – along with numerous other squads across Vale – had been dispatched to different areas across Remnant to help quell the steady uprising of Grimm.

It was a plan hatched by the Headmasters of the schools as a show of solidarity after the fall of Beacon. With Ozpin gone, the decision fell to Glynda on which teams to send. In the end she decided on Team CFVY, offering their services to Mistral in exchange for help with rebuilding the city and school.

It was safe to say that CFVY wasn't in the best state of mind. Even though so much time had passed since then, they were all still reeling from the attack on school. In essence that why Coco decided to go. She thought getting away and helping people would help ease their minds.

It was working so far. They had stopped numerous groups of Grimm during their time in Mistral. So much so that they were starting to garner a bit of a reputation as being Grimm slayers.

"You ok?" Coco turned to Velvet. "You seem a little out of it."

The rabbit Faunus nodded with a weak smile. "I-I'm ok. Just a little tired is all."

"That's what happens when you stay up all night. I've told you that you need your rest."

"I-I know. I'm sorry."

Velvet had been restless since the Fall. Natsu's death - along with the destruction of the school - hit her rather hard. For the first few days after the incident she couldn't stop crying. It would be nearly a week before Coco was able to convince her to go along with the rest of the team to Mistral. Hard as she was Coco would never force a member of her team to do something they didn't want to do.

"I hate this." Yatsuhashi voiced. "We're Huntsmen, not mercenaries."

"Oh lighten up, big guy." Coco said. "I mean 'Hunt' is in our title. Sounds to me like we're finally living up to the moniker. Besides it's better than wallowing in our own sorrows back in Vale."

"You're just saying that because you get to visit the shops in Mistral with the money we're making." Fox pointed out. Coco shrugged.

"All work and no play make Coco very cranky. Where to next?"

"According to the map…a village called Hikari." Yatsuhashi said, putting away said map. "It shouldn't be too far from here."

"Guess that's our next stop. We can contact Glynda when we get there."

"Um, guys." Velvet directed her friends' attentions to plume of smoke rising from the direction they were heading. "You don't think that's…"

"Hurry."

At Coco's command Team CFVY sped off. When they finally reached the town some few minutes later, they were devastated by what they saw. All the buildings had been either destroyed or burned to the ground. The rancid smell of burning flesh hang in the air as well and there were bodies dead bodies strewn through the streets.

"What could have done this?" Velvet gasped.

"Was it Grimm?" Fox questioned.

"Hey! Hang in there! What did this?! Was it Grimm?!"

Coco held one of the Huntsmen in her arms. He had been stabbed in the gut by some sort of blade. Judging by the severity of the injury he didn't have much time left.

"No…Grimm." The Huntsman rasped. "People…strong..."

"What did they look like?" Coco asked. The man was fading. "Hang in there you hear me?! What did these people look like?! Are they still here?!"

With one last gasp of air the Huntsman died in Coco's arms.

"Dammit."

Slowly she set him down and stood up.

"Coco?" Velvet called.

"Velvet, you and Fox check for survivors." She ordered. The usual playfulness that was present in her voice had faded completely. "Yatsuhashi and I'll look for whoever the hell did this."

"Be careful." Fox advised. "Whoever the culprit is should not be taken lightly."

"I know." Coco nodded.

"Don't worry I will not let her get too in over her head." Yatsuhashi declared.

"Be careful, you two." Velvet said.

"Aren't we always?" Coco smirked. "Let's go."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "Right."

The pair raced towards the village center. Velvet and Fox wished each other luck and took off in opposite directions themselves.

Velvet headed to the market square. It was just as destroyed as the rest of the village.

 _Who could do something so awful? Was it those people who attacked the school?_

Coming up on the western edge of the village, Velvet spotted something in one of the inner roads.

It was a man wearing a mask with a hood over his head. A dark smile on his lips, he hoisted an injured Huntsman in the air by the neck. Just the sight of the image made Velvet's blood run cold, their aura was frightening, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. Like she had seen this person before, but that was impossible.

She shook her head free of delusions. _What am I thinking? He must be one of the people who did this._

"H-Hey!" she shouted.

"Hm?" The masked man turned to Velvet. "Who are you? You friends with this guy?" He tightened his grip on the Huntsman, making him gag for breath.

"Let him go! I-I'm warning you!" Velvet held out her hand as a hard light copy of Ruby's Crescent Rose materialized in it.

The man smirked. "So you came to fight too? Good. I was starting to get bored." He threw the injured Huntsman into a nearby by fruit stall, much to the shock of Velvet. "But before we start I have a question."

"What quest-"

Suddenly the man was directly in front of Velvet.

 _He's fast!_

"Do you know where Ruby Rose is?"

* * *

"What do you want with Ruby?"

Coco fired her gatling gun in a seemingly endless stream of bullets, but Tyrian was simply too fast for her to hit.

"Why we want her is not important." he answered. "What **is** important is that you tell us where she is."

"Like hell!" she fired more rounds. "Hold still dammit!"

Tyrian inched closer and closer. Eventually Coco ran out of ammo.

"Come on! Not now!"

"Too bad for you." Twin blades attached to Tyrian's wrists like claws and he surged forward. When he drew back to strike, Yatsuhashi appeared.

The giant swung his sword, the blade aimed for the demented attacker's neck. Tyrian dropped to his knees and slid under the blade, stopping a few feet away from the pair.

He grabbed his neck and cackled. "That was exciting! I almost got a little head of myself." He howled at his joke.

"Saying this guy is a freak would be an insult to freaks." Coco said, reloading her weapon. "Thanks for the save."

"You're welcome. What about Velvet and Fox? Chances are this man is not alone."

"They can handle themselves. Right now this guy is the priority."

Tyrian's mad laughing stopped, but the maniacal smile was still plastered on his bony face.

"Shall we go again?"

* * *

If there was one thing Fox Alistair hated more than anything else, it was being rushed.

He liked to move on his own pace, do things his own way, and for the most part being on Team CFVY provided that comfort. Coco was very laidback as far as leaders went. If she didn't feel like doing something, she wouldn't. It was simple, and fit the team's overall aesthetic. Yatsuhashi was serious, but not to the point of being overbearing. Velvet was meek, but not submissive. And Fox himself was quiet, but not oblivious.

He was set in his ways, but there were times where he would have to step out of himself to do get the job done. This was one of those times.

He watched patiently as Neopolitan sat on a rock ahead of him. Her umbrella twirling in her delicate fingers, she also waited for him to make a move.

"Why are you looking for Ruby Rose? Who do you work for?"

Neopolitan shrugged with a sly smirk on her lips. Clearly she wasn't going to divulge the information willingly.

"Have it your way."

Fox launched himself forward. His shoulders square, his first punch shattered Neopolitan to pieces as if she were made of glass. He could tell immediately what that meant.

"Illusionist. Clever."

Fox looked over his shoulder. Sure enough there was Neopolitan, waving to him with her smile just as wide as before. She closed her umbrella and stuck the point in the dirt, beckoning Fox to make his next move.

* * *

"That all you got?!"

Fafnir kicked Velvet into a nearby building and chased after her. From the side of his cloak cut a pitch black sword. He swung downward. Velvet blocked with Ember Celica.

He was strong. Velvet knew that the moment she saw him. His attacks were ferocious, but also precise with no wasted motion. A controlled frenzy if she had to put a name to it. Once more he wasn't holding back. If Velvet wasn't careful she would assuredly end up like his previous opponents.

"So your weapon makes copies of other weapons?" Fafnir's dark smile made Velvet's bones quake as his weight slowly pushed her further towards the ground. "That's pretty cool. Looks like I won't be bored after all."

Velvet managed to push him off and switched her weapon to Myrtenaster. Each thrust hit its mark with such precision it was if Weiss Schnee herself was fighting.

Velvet's last strike pushed Fafnir back to the street. Regaining his bearings, he watched as Velvet soared above him with Magnhild in hand. With a quick leap back, narrowly avoided being smashed by the hammer as it cracked the ground.

His opponent open, he rushed forward and thrust his shoulder into Velvet's chest. With her off balance he swung his sword again. Velvet switched styles just before he could connect. Gambol Shroud now in hand, she ducked under his slash. Forcing herself upward she parried his blade, causing Fafnir to stumble back. Velvet charged.

The ribbon dancing in the air, "Gambol Shroud" and Fafnir's sword clashed over and over under the light of the setting sun. The clanging of metal against hard light rang loudly in their ears, but neither fighter showed any signs of slowing down. In fact Fafnir was starting to enjoy himself more and more.

It had been ages since he'd had a real fight that wasn't against one of his own comrades or an enormous Grimm. If he didn't know any better, he'd dare say he was having fun.

Velvet wrapped Gambol Shroud's ribbon around Fafnir's ankle and yanked up as hard as she could. Fafnir was upended and slammed hard onto the dirt. Velvet straddled him, her knees holding down his arms as she pointed one of Ren's StormFlower pistols at his face' she held the blade of the other to his throat.

"Nice." Fafnir praised. "I wasn't expecting that one."

"Talk." She pressed the blade further against his throat. "What do you want with Ruby? Are you working with the people that attacked Beacon?"

"Depends." Fafnir smirked. "Know where she is?"

"I'm asking the questions! Now tell me what I want to know or I'll shoot!"

"Ok. Ok I'll talk." Fafnir surrendered. "Last thing I want is my head blown off in the middle of nowhere."

Velvet was suspicious of Fafnir's surrender, but eased up enough for him to speak comfortably.

"Now listen close, because I'm only going to say this once."

Fafnir opened his mouth wide. To Velvet's shock she saw black flames welling up inside him.

Velvet leapt away from him just as the flames erupted. Luckily the only thing that was burned were the edges of her coat.

 _Black flames? From his mouth?! How did he do that?!_

Fafnir rose to his feet with a smile. "You know it's rude to ignore someone when they're talking."

Velvet's eyes narrowed. _I can't afford to waste any more time here. Coco and the others are probably in trouble. I have to end this now!_

Velvet centered herself and StormFlower disappeared. A new light emanated from her camera, coating her arms in two of her most powerful weapons.

Fafnir watched with anticipation. Just what weapon would she use next? A polearm? A bazooka? A giant sword? The possibilities were endless.

When the weapons finished materializing Fafnir's eyes went wide. They were gauntlets. One's that the masked warrior immediately recognized.

"That's-"

 _"Here. These are for you."_

 _A young woman with snow white hair handed a young boy with pink hair a pair of black and gold gauntlets._

 _"What are they?" The boy asked._

 _Your new weapons. You start combat school next fall don't you? I thought it was a good time for you to get acquainted with them before classes started._

 _"But why gauntlets? Why can't I get a sword or a bazooka or something?"_

 _"We both know that your sword skills are less than stellar, and handing you any type projectile weapon that isn't filled with water is asking for trouble."_

 _The boy pouted. "Not fair."_

 _"Don't pout. They have different modes." She pressed a button on the inside and gauntlets turned into claws. When she pressed it again they changed into hand cannons._

 _The boy's eyes lit up. "Whoa! That's awesome!"_

 _The young woman grinned. "See? Not everything is what they seem. Now, what will you name them?"_

 _"I have to name them?"_

 _"Of course you do. Every huntsman names his or her weapons when they first get them. It's essential to their development. Weiss has already given her rapier a name. She calls it Myrtenaster."_

 _"That's a weird name."_

 _"Perhaps, but it has a certain elegance to it. Now what about you? What will you name your weapon?"_

"Black Summer."

Fafnir, distracted by the vision, failed to notice Velvet's advance. She thrust her right fist forward. The force of the blow broke through Fafnir's mask and sent him sailing through several stalls.

 _Not enough!_

Black Summer switched to cannon mode. Velvet fired into the rubble, the explosion rocked the marketplace.

When the dust settled, the pile of rubble had been reduced to ash. Velvet fell to one knee and her weapons faded away. She was exhausted. Fighting that hard in so many different styles had finally taken its toll on her, but she couldn't afford to be tired now. She forced herself to stand.

I have to find the others.

"This is the most fun I've had in a long time."

Velvet's body froze. Somehow Fafnir had survived the blast.

"Seriously. Fighting you was really great. Thanks for that. But it looks like you don't have much left. Too bad. Just when I was starting to really have fun." Fafnir walked to the front of Velvet. "Time to end it." His smile made her heart race in fear.

 _I have to move! If I don't he'll kill me!_

Pieces of Fafnir's mask fell to the ground. When the last bits were gone, Velvet lost all will to fight. Those eyes, that spiky pink hair. There was no mistaking it. The shock paralyzed her.

"It can't be-"

She was abruptly silenced by a hard punch to the gut. She spit up blood, bits landing on Fafnir's face and the wall of the building next to them.

Fafnir let the unconscious Faunus fall onto his shoulder. A solemn look on his face.

"Good fight."

* * *

Fafnir laid Velvet down with the rest of her defeated teammates.

"I say we kill them." Tyrian gleefully suggested. "They were much more trouble than they were worth. And they don't know where the girl is."

Neopolitan seemed to agree with him, but she looked to Fafnir. The final decision was his to make.

"Neo, destroy their weapons."

Without hesitation the mute girl cut all of Team CFVY's weapons to pieces, including Velvet's camera.

"Time to go." Fafnir started to walk away.

"We're leaving them alive?!" Tyrian was beyond irritated with Fafnir's decision. "They will just come after us."

"They gave us a good fight. We owe them that much."

"Sentimental drivel."

Tyrian turned on his heel and raced back to Team CFVY. His claws out the unbalanced villain lunged for Velvet's neck. He stopped when Fafnir grabbed his wrist.

Fafnir threw him to the ground.

"I said we're leaving them alive. If you got a problem with that, we can settle it right now." Fafnir threatened.

Tyrian clicked his teeth and looked away. It was clear he didn't want to fight.

"Thought so. Now let's get going."

Tyrian stood up, rubbing his wrists as he walked away. "You're time will come, Lizard." he muttered under his breath.

Fafnir looked to the unconscious Velvet for a few seconds more before joining his comrades. His scroll rang. It was a message from Neopolitan.

 **Are you ok?**

Fafnir grinned when he reached her. "Yeah, Neo. I'm fine. Sorry, but could you make me another mask? Mind kind of broke during the fight."

Neopolitan sighed and sent another message.

 **Yeah.**

"Thanks."

As the trio exited Hikari, Velvet started to stir. Her body weak, she reached out to Fafnir with tears in her eyes.

"Please. Don't go…Nats…"

She passed out as a raven soared overhead.

* * *

It was so dark that Yang could barely see her own hand in front of her face, but she could hear the screaming clear as day.

One after another, the cacophonous agony of people being assaulted and killed by the White Fang or the Grimm. There was nothing she could do. She was frozen in place, unable to aid them. What could she do anyway? She was useless without the use of both of her arms…or so she thought.

Yang felt a familiar weight on her right side and looked down. To her shock both of her hands were there. It was as if the attack never happened. She wanted to jump for joy that her nightmare was over, but that feeling soon faded when she heard footsteps approaching.

She looked ahead, her eyes widening and her heart thumping like a drum when she saw Adam Taurus slowly closing in on her.

In her fear she readied herself for battle. Realizing Ember Celica was equipped she fired desperately at her attacker, but each blast passed through him as if he were a ghost.

He reached for his sword and Yang fired again, but this time nothing happened.

She looked at her hands, Ember Celica was gone, along with her arm.

A sick smile on his face, Adam drew his blade.

* * *

Yang woke up with a gasp to her empty room. Another nightmare.

She looked to the metal prosthetic laying on her nightstand. It had been a couple of days since she'd taken it out of the box, but she still had yet to try it on. She honestly didn't know what she was waiting on. Was it fear? Or simply apathy? She couldn't tell.

She started to go back to bed when she heard laughter coming from downstairs. Curious, she made the journey to the kitchen and saw her father talking to Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck.

"When we told him it was a kilt he totally bought it." Taiyang laughed. "Said he never wore a school uniform before."

"You're terrible." Oobleck joked.

"Don't get mad at me. The girls all said he had nice legs. We did him a favor."

As the three men joked and laughed about the past, Yang couldn't help but join in. Her quiet giggles startled her teachers.

"M-Miss Xiao Long!" Port exclaimed. "Please. Come in."

"By all means pull up a chair." Oobleck added.

Yang accepted their invitation and walked over to the counter next to her father.

"Here's fine. Thanks." She hopped onto the counter. "So what's the occasion? You old guys throwing a party?"

"Nothing so extravagant. We're simply catching up." Oobleck explained. "Teachers do live normal lives outside of school hours you know."

"Yes. Professor Goodwitch is working nonstop to repair the damage done during the attack, but as they say 'Mistral wasn't built in a day'. We're all just taking a well-deserved rest before getting back at it." Port said.

"Yeah so like I was saying earlier." Taiyang interjected. "There Qrow was, in a skirt like it was the most normal thing in the world, when Oz shows up and tells us we have to work on our landing strategies."

"Yes. The Branwen twins were always an odd pair." Oobleck chuckled.

"That didn't stop Tai." Port prompted.

"Seriously, Pete? Come on." Taiyang motioned to Yang.

"Nonsense, Miss Xiao Long is a mature young woman. Surely she can handle a few jokes at her old man's expense."

"That's not what I'm saying." Taiyang argued. He seemed serious now. "She's still a teenager."

" **She** is also right here and would appreciate it if you talked straight to her." Yang insisted. "Also I think I've been through enough to be considered an adult."

Her father sighed. "Whether you **think** you're an adult or not, you still have a lot to learn about what's really going on in the world."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Do all of you spout the same phrases like some kind of condescending robot?"

"We only use them when we mean it."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

Oobleck and Port started to feel the tension in the room rise the longer Yang and her father argued. It wouldn't be long before someone said something they regretted.

"If you honestly think you're ready for what's out there by yourself, then you clearly lost some brain cells along with that arm."

Taiyang's jab made the room fall silent. Yang, Oobleck, and Port were shocked. They couldn't believe he said something so callous about his own daughter.

Just as the teachers were about to intervene with words of their own, Yang playfully punched her father.

"Jerk."

The two shared a laugh that seemed to ease the mood. Though Oobleck and Port were still skeptical.

"Miss Xiao…Yang, if it's not too forward of me to ask, why haven't you tried on the arm yet?" Port inquired.

"Ah yes." Oobleck said. "It's not everyday one receives such high-grade Atlas technology. Not to mention the great pains it took to get it delivered here. It would seem a lot of people are anxiously awaiting your return."

"I guess…I'm scared." Yang admitted to both the group and herself. "Everyone keeps saying that they want me back to normal but…" she looked to her nub. "This **is** normal for me. I appreciate the gestures, but I can't change what I am and I need to find a way to live with that."

"Well…" Taiyang started. "Normal is what you make of it."

"What are you talking about? You want me to just pretend nothing happened? I lost more than just an arm. I lost friends that I can never get back and pretending that never happened isn't going to change things."

"You're right. Your arm and your friends aren't coming back, but that shouldn't stop you from being who you want to be. You're Yang Xiao Long. My Sunny Little Dragon. There's nothing you can't do. So whenever you're done feeling sorry for yourself and want to get back out there, I'll be waiting."

Yang let her father's words sink in. He was right of course, but she was still unsure. "I…I don't…"

"Fear, like any other emotion, comes and goes." Port said. "What matters is **how** you choose to face those fears. Why even a daring gentlemen like myself grapples with those fears from time to time."

"You serious? You get scared?" Yang was finding it hard to believe that a man who would spend entire classes reciting tales of his various heroic exploits would be scared of anything.

"He's terrified of mice." Oobleck whispered.

Port slammed his fist on the table. "Those monsters bring nothing but disease and famine! And don't get me started on their tails!"

Yang started to laugh.

* * *

After about another hour or so of light conversation Yang finally decided to go back to bed. Saying good night to the adults she headed back to her room.

When she stepped through the doorway, she looked at the prosthetic once more and thought about what her father said. Perhaps it was time she finally stopped running.

She heard voices from outside and shuffled to her window, eavesdropping on the conversation between her father and the teachers.

"It may be a while before we return." Oobleck said. "The school still needs much more work done."

"Forgive me for asking but, have you heard anything from young Miss Rose?" Port asked Taiyang.

"No." He answered somberly.

"Have you thought of going after her?" Oobleck prompted.

"Every day, but…there are some things I have to take care of first." When he looked to Yang's window, she hid behind the curtain.

She clutched her right arm and sighed bitterly. When she looked to the prosthetic again her mind was made up.

It was time to make a change.

* * *

The rain didn't let up in the town of Higanbana. Known for its comfortable atmosphere and famous Inn, Higanbana was a place many a traveler would stop on their way through Mistral. Qrow Branwen was no different, though his reason for visiting Higanbana was more intimate than others.

Sitting in a bar – his favorite place no matter what town he wound up in – he watched as Ruby and Team JNPR checked into the inn across the road.

He'd been following the quintet ever since they left Vale, keeping an eye out and making sure no rogue Grimm obstructed their path. Part of him followed because he was worried about his niece, the other part was because he simply had nowhere else to go.

His aid wasn't needed in cleaning up the school – a fact Glynda made quite clear on numerous occasions – he had no idea where any of the maidens were, and he knew he wasn't going to confront Salem anytime soon. So babysitting it was.

Feeling just north of useless, Qrow took another sip from his mug. Worst case scenario he could sleep at the bar before heading out in the morning – not like he hadn't done it before.

Just then the waitress gave him a fresh glass. She was a cute young girl with long brown hair that was styled into hoops and had bright hazel eyes. If this were any other time Qrow would have made the first move. For now he was just confused.

"I appreciate it, but I didn't-"

"Compliments of the woman upstairs. Red eyes." The waitress pointed. "Said you wouldn't mind bottom shelf."

Qrow looked to the second floor of the bar. Due to the poor lighting it was nearly covered in shadow, but he could already tell who it was from. She had been following him almost as long as he been following the kids.

"Thanks." His response was irritable at best, but the waitress didn't seem to mind. She bent over, giving the weary Huntsman a wink and a coquettish smile.

"I gave you top. Guess it's your lucky day."

Qrow smiled as the waitress walked away, not so subtly swaying her hips. If he was sober enough later he would definitely try and continue their conversation. For now, he had a much more pressing matter to attend to.

He grabbed the drink and made his way upstairs. Seated at a table near the back wall was his sister Raven Brawnwen. Surprisingly she wasn't wearing her mask. Instead it was in front of her on the table.

"Evening, brother."

"Raven."

Her greeting was as cold as it ever was, but Qrow didn't mind. The elation he used to feel at seeing his sister had long since faded into apathy, if not outright anger.

He pulled up a chair, but refused to sit down until Raven moved her mask. With a groan she relented and pulled it to the side.

"So what brings you to Higanbana?" he asked flippantly. "The weather?"

"Is it so wrong for me to want to catch up with my only brother?"

"No, but that's not what you're doing. So let's cut the crap shall we." He took a sip from his glass. "Unless you got a few more of these in ya."

Raven's mood soured. It seemed the formalities were over.

"Does she have it?"

"Gotta be way more specific than that, Sis. Lot of people in this world want something for one reason or another."

"I'm in no mood for games, Qrow."

"Good, because I'm not playing them. You know Yang lost her arm, right?"

"That's not-"

"Trick question. Of course you know. Bet you also know that Natsu died too."

Raven's eyelid twitched for a moment. "I don't see how that would be important to me."

"Like hell. Oz told me about you raising the kid. Kinda annoying the way you talk about family when you abandoned both of them like they were nothing."

"I saved Yang." Raven asserted. "As for the boy, he has no one but himself to blame for his fate. He should have known that he wasn't strong enough to battle a Maiden. I have no sympathy for fools that rush to their graves."

"So you followed some half-baked rule to rescue your daughter one time, and completely disregard the boy because he died protecting those close to him. You're a role model for mother's everywhere."

Raven grabbed her brother's wrist tightly, her red eyes blazing with anger. "I **warned** you of Beacon's fall. I **warned** you of Ozpin's failure. You chose to ignore me and look what happened. Beacon is overrun with Grimm, Salem has control of the Fall Maiden, and Ozpin is dead. Now you will tell me, brother, does Salem have the relic?"

"Funny. I thought you didn't care about all of that."

"I just want to know what we're up against."

"Which 'we' are you referring to?" Qrow smirked. Raven let go of his wrist with a huff and sat back down. "Come back, Raven. The only way we can beat her is if we're together. **All** of us."

Raven knew what her brother was insinuating, and she didn't like it one bit. " **You** abandoned **us**. The tribe gave us everything and you turned your back on them. How could you do that?"

"They're killers and thieves."

"They're your family!"

"There's that word again. I'm starting to think you don't know what it means."

Raven shot up from her seat. "I lead the Tribe now. And as long as I draw breath I will do whatever is necessary to ensure out survival."

"Yeah. You demonstrated that pretty clearly back in Shion."

"How were we supposed to know the Grimm would set in so quickly?"

"Who said anything about Grimm?" Qrow countered. "We both know that neither they nor you could cause that much damage."

With a confident grin Raven reached for her mask. "If you don't know the location of the relic then–"

Qrow placed his hand on Raven's mask just as she touched it. "Don't know where the Spring Maiden is either. Think you can help me with that?"

Raven yanked her mask away from him. "Not in the slightest." It was clear that she was lying.

"I'm serious, Raven. Without her, we're as good as dead."

"And which 'we' would you be referring to?"

Qrow remained silent at his sister's reversal. Taking this as her cue to exit Raven put on her mask and unsheathed her sword.

"So long, Brother. I'm glad we had this talk." She sliced open a portal and walked through it, exiting the bar.

"Damn." Qrow sighed. "Back to square one I guess."

Just as the portal closed Qrow heard a horrified gasp, accompanied by the sound of glass breaking. He looked over his shoulder and saw the waitress from before, her knees knocking together as she shook in fright. Suffice to say Qrow's plans for later were a complete bust as well.

"Mind making this a double?"

The waitress shakily nodded and hurried downstairs. Qrow took a sip from his glass and thought back to what Raven said about the Fall Maiden.

 _You're partly right, Raven. Salem does have **a** Fall Maiden, but it looks like there may be more than one._

Across from the bar Pyrrha slept peacefully in her room at the inn along with Ruby and Nora, Natsu's scarf hugged tightly to her body.

* * *

The rain came down harder and harder the longer the night went on.

The water dripping down the front of her mask made it difficult for her to see, but Raven remained vigilant. From her perch on a nearby cliff face she watched three figures walk through the forest. She recognized two of them as Neopolitan and Tyrian Callows – minions of Salem – but nearly all of her attention was focused on the young man between them.

His pink hair dampened by the rain, Raven could feel a slight tug in her heart. She had felt this before, numerous times in fact when it came to him and Yang, but it never got easier to ignore.

Qrow was wrong. Natsu wasn't dead. He was right here. Under Salem's thrall.

Raven saw at times where his true personality would shine through - most recently in choosing to spare the lives of Team CFVY - but it wouldn't be long before what meager shred of who he was was completely snuffed out.

She tightened the grip on her sword. "Wake up, Natsu."

Fafnir heard her voice and stopped walking. he turned and looked to cliff face, but there was no one there.

"What is it, Lizard?" Tyrian asked. "Is it those Huntsmen from earlier? I told you we should have killed them."

"It's not them. I thought I heard someone on that cliff back there."

"Perhaps it's your demons come back to haunt you." He started to laugh, but was silenced when Neopolitan held her blade to his throat.

She tugged on Fafnir's cloak, when her turned to her she held up her scroll.

 **Should we rest for the night?**

"Nah. It was probably just an animal or something. Let's continue to the next town. What was it called again?"

 **Higanbana.** Neopolitan typed out.

Tyrian smiled darkly. "Perhaps someone there has information on our illusive quarry."

Fafnir grinned as well. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

 **New chapter! Thought about what to do here for a minute, so I decided to bring back Team CFVY for a fight scene. I know it may feel like I cheated a bit on it, but honestly the only important fight I felt was Velvet vs. Fafnir. Velvet was really fun to write since it was established pretty early on that she had feelings for Natsu, so i wanted to peek in on her and see how she was doing. She's also the first person to find out Fafnir's identity. That plot point will come back up at the end of the volume.**

 **The scene between Raven and Qrow was somewhat the same, but also different since I was working with my interpretation of Raven, which is slightly different from canon.**

 **The opening scene was also pretty different when I first wrote it. I originally had Fafnir naming off all of the dead bodies of his former friends by name, but I decided to change that since it would be odd if he was fighting these people if he knew about them. So for right now the only people he knows of are Ruby and Pyrrha, and that's only because of Ruby's silver eyes and Pyrrha's maiden power.**

 **I also gave Neopolitan a metal leg. Nothing really major for the change, I just thought it would be kind of interesting if falling off of the ship in volume three caused an injury that caused her to lose it.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	46. You Can't Go Home Again

"For real?! You fought a dragon?!"

"It was a Grimm, but I guess it kind of looked like a dragon. So yeah."

Natsu and Blake sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest, watching as the sun slowly started rising in the distance.

This wasn't the first time Blake had a dream like this, but it was the first time she was here with Natsu. Normally she was joined by a member of her team, notably Yang.

"Aw man!" "Natsu" groaned. "That sounds awesome! I wish I could have been there."

"…Me too." Blake muttered.

"So where are you heading now?"

"Menagerie."

"That's the Faunus colony in the south, right?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah. It's where I came from."

"I never knew that."

"You never asked."

Natsu grinned. "You got me there. How long are you staying?"

"Not sure. I really don't have anywhere else to go right now."

"You could always go look for Ruby and the others."

Blake hugged her knees to her body. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

Natsu leaned back on his arms. "If you say so. You can't run forever though. Eventually you're gonna have to talk to them."

"I know. I just…" she bit her lip. "I'm not ready yet."

The rays of the sun grew brighter. It was almost time for her to go.

"Natsu, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Do you…hate me? If it wasn't for me you'd still be alive."

The spectre thought for a moment. "I don't know. I'm not really Natsu, so I can't answer that question. Sorry."

"It's ok. I figured you'd say that. I was just wondering."

As the sun took it's right position in the sky, Blake knew that time was up. She watched as "Natsu" stood up next to her.

"Guess it's time to go. You coming?"

"I think I'll stay a little longer."

"Alright. Don't take too long, you'll oversleep and miss the boat docking."

"I don't think I have to worry about that." Blake smirked. "Sun will wake me up before long."

Natsu chuckled. "I guess you're right. See you later, Blake." He waved as he faded away.

"So long, Natsu."

* * *

The sound of the horn awoke Blake from her dream. Before she was even out of bed there was a knock on her cabin door.

"Blake. The boat stopped. I think we're here."

"I'm aware. Thanks, Sun. I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright."

After taking a few minutes to get herself together, Blake joined Sun on the upper deck. The gentle sea breeze caressed her face and for a small instant Blake felt herself smile – albeit subtly - for the first time in months.

As she and Sun disembarked the ship with the rest of the passengers, the familiar sights and sounds of her home began to take shape.

The ornate wooden shop stalls and homes, the lush green fields that stretched further in the island, and the Faunus walking the dirt roads freely without fear of Grimm or persecution from their human peers.

This was her home. This was the colony of Menagerie.

"I've never seen so many Faunus in one place." Sun marveled.

"This is the one place where our people can feel safe." Blake said with a hint of sorrow. Her companion didn't seem to notice.

Sun narrowly avoided a passerby as they continued through the marketplace. "Kinda cramped isn't it?"

"Yes." Blake sighed. "Yes it is. Come on."

The further in the pair travelled, the more claustrophobic Sun felt. It was like he couldn't go three steps without rubbing shoulders with a stranger.

"Is it always like this?"

"Well when you attempt to squeeze an entire species of people onto an island that's over half desert, being crowded is just something you get used to." Blake answered.

"Are you serious?! You guys are really wasting that much space?! What for? It's not like a little sand and sun hurt anyone."

"The desert here is much different than the one in Vacuo." Blake explained. "The wildlife here is much more dangerous."

"So let me get this straight, they gave us a small island on the edge of the planet filled with vicious monsters to shut us up?"

"Sounds about right."

"Well that was nice of them."

"We tried to make the best of it, but there's only so much you can endure before you break."

They reached the top of a long stairwell at the end of the path. Before them was an expansive field of trees dotted with wooden cottages and other small buildings.

"Whoa." Sun gasped. "What is this?"

"Kuo Kuana."

"It's beautiful. Forget what I said earlier. This place is awesome! Who would wanna leave?"

"You're missing the point." Blake sighed. "All we wanted was to be treated like everyone else. Instead they shipped us off to an island and left us to our own devices. We took what we had and made a place where all Faunus would be welcomed, but at the end of the day this town, this entire island, it's just a reminder that we still aren't equal. It's nothing more than a gilded cage."

Sun placed his hand on his distraught friend's shoulder. "Well if it means anything, I'm feeling pretty welcome right now."

"Blake? Sun?"

The pair turned around and saw a girl with long orange hair tied in a braid that draped over her shoulder. Her bright green eyes sparkling in the sun and her cat tail waving slowly behind her, she smiled wide as she shifted the wicker shopping bag on her shoulder.

"I knew it! It's been forever! What are you two doing in Menagerie?"

Blake and Sun were confused. Clearly this girl knew who they both were, but they were at a complete loss when it came to her identity.

"I'm sorry." Blake apologized. "I don't think we-"

"Who are you?" Sun bluntly asked. Blake facepalmed. So much for tact.

The girl giggled. "Sorry. I probably look way different out of my fighting gear. Maybe this will help." She took a step before circling around the pair in the blink of an eye, a rainbow trailing behind her. "Remember now?"

Blake's eyes widened. "Neon Katt?!"

"Bingo." Neon winked. "You guys never miss a beat do you?"

Sun was still shocked. "We haven't seen you since the fight at Beacon."

"Yeah that was pretty crazy wasn't it? My grandmother lives on the island." Neon explained. "I've been visiting for the last few weeks."

"It's nice to see that you're doing well." Blake said with a small grin.

"You too." Neon returned with a smile of her own. "What brings you guys here? A romantic getaway?"

"Not a chance." Blake firmly denied.

"Blake's from here." Sun answered. "We're heading to her house. Wanna come with?"

"Can I?" Neon gasped.

"Sun, I don't think-" Blake began to protest.

"It'll be fine! The more the merrier right? Now which house is yours? That one? Or maybe that one? Oh what about that one?"

"That's **my** house." Neon interjected.

"Oh. Nice paint job."

"Thanks."

"Actually…" Blake directed Sun's hand to the large home in the center of the village. "That's it."

Sun was at a loss for words.

"But that's…" slowly Neon's eyes widened in realization. "Wait…Belladonna…you're Chieftain Ghira's daughter?!"

Blake sighed. "Yes. I am."

"Oh my god!"

"What? What's going on?" Sun questioned, having recovered from his state of shock. "Who is this 'Chieftain Ghira" guy? He important or something?"

"Only if you think being the leader of all of Menagerie is important. Blake is totally a princess!"

Once again Sun was floored. "You didn't tell me you were a princess!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Let's just go."

* * *

Some few minutes later the trio reached the steps of the Belladonna home. Blake extended her arm to the door, but stopped just short of knocking.

"What's wrong?" Sun asked.

"You don't look very good." Neon pointed out.

"…I haven't talked to my parents in a while. I guess you could say we didn't leave things off on a good note when I left home."

"Well you're here now." Sun said. "Too late to turn back."

"We're right here in case things go south." Neon reassured. "You can do it."

After a few more seconds of mental preparation, Blake grabbed the door knocker and hit it against the large wooden doors one time. The ominous echo of the knock sent shivers down the spines of Neon and Sun. Blake was used to it.

"That wasn't scary at all." Sun nervously commented.

Neon nodded frightfully.

The pair straightened when they heard the door start to creak. It opened to reveal a woman with short black hair and cat ears and features similar to Blake's. When she saw the young Faunus her eyes shot open in disbelief.

"...Blake?"

"H-hi, Mom."

Suddenly the woman embraced an astonished Blake as tightly as she could.

"My darling, baby girl. I'm so glad you're home."

The hug was a sobering one for Blake. Being that she was gone for over a year, she had no idea how her parents would react to her return. The first thing she expected her mother to do was scold her for worrying her so much, but she didn't. Blake couldn't help but feel a bit guilty because of that. After her shock wore off, she returned her mother's hug.

"Kali?! Who's at the door?!"

A man roughly twice Sun's size approached the doorway. When Neon saw him she practically fell over.

"It's the Chieftain!" she squealed.

"That guy is Blake's dad?!" Sun was just as surprised.

When the chieftain saw his daughter his stern face set into a warming smile. "You've returned."

Blake nodded respectfully. "Y-yeah…I'm back."

"Well don't just stand there, come in. We have so much to talk about." Kali pushed Blake into the house.

"Wait, Mom." Blake protested.

"You two join us as well." Kali said to Sun and Neon. "You're Blake's friends right? I'll put on some tea."

"We will thanks." Sun spoke up.

The pair stepped into the house, stopping right in front of Blake's father.

"H-hello, Mr. Chieftain Belladonna, sir." Neon's legs were shaking so much that she could hardly hold her bow. "T-thank you so much for l-l-letting us into your home."

"There's no need to be so formal, my dear." Blake's father chuckled. "Please, call me Ghira."

"O-ok. Mr. Ghira." Neon felt some of her uneasiness wash away when she saw the chieftain's welcoming grin. She could see why so many people looked up to him.

"Nice to meet you, Ghira. I'm Sun Wukong." The monkey boy extended his hand, but the chieftain didn't shake it. Instead his smile shifted into an intimidating scowl.

He titled his head upward, his fierce eyes looking down his nose at the frightened young man. "I don't recall saying **you** could address me my first name, Mr. Wukong was it? Mr. Belladonna or Chieftain is more than good enough for you."

Sun slowly retracted his hand. "Y-yes, sir…Mr. Belladonna."

"Good. Now let's make our way to the dining hall. We don't want to keep Kali and Blake waiting."

Ghira started walking, Sun and Neon not far behind.

"I don't think he likes me." Sun whispered to Neon.

"Probably not."

* * *

"We heard news of the attack, but we didn't know much until Verdant contacted us." Kali placed her cup on the table, an empathetic look in her eye as she spoke of the tragedy. "Vale was by no means perfect, but they didn't deserve to have such a horrible event befall them. We were so worried about you."

Ghira laughed. "Please, I knew Blake was alright. She's **my** daughter after all."

"Oh don't give me that." Kali chided. "I swear he wore a hole into the floor with all of his pacing."

Blake sat silent. She had no idea how much undue stress and worry she had caused her parents. He guilt grew.

"Trust me, you guys had nothing to worry about." Sun spoke up. "I've seen Blake in action, and let me tell you she knows her way around."

The room immediately fell silent.

"Care to explain what you mean by that, Mr. Wukong?"

Ghira's question snapped Sun back to his senses. Only now did he realize just what his words were implying.

"Well, sir…what I meant was that Blake, your daughter, is a really good fighter! And as a fellow warrior I-"

As Sun's brain worked overtime to save his life, the women sat and watched. Blake rolled her eyes while Kali and Neon found themselves more amused by the second.

"Why did you bring him here again?" Kali asked her daughter.

"He kinda just…followed me here." Blake sighed.

"Right…I like him."

"Mom!" Blake gasped. "It's not like that. At all."

"Alright, honey. No need to get pouty."

"I'm not pouty." Blake argued, her cheeks slightly puffed out as she took a sip of her tea.

"She would always make that face when she was embarrassed." Kali whispered to Neon. "I thought it was the cutest thing."

Neon snickered until she felt Blake's glare on her.

"So how do you know Blake?" Kali asked. "She never really talked much about her friends the few times she wrote home. Are you a friend of hers from school?"

"Not exactly. I'm from Atlas. I met Blake and Sun during the Vytal Festival. We also fought alongside one another during the attack."

"I see. Well allow me to thank you for helping keep my daughter safe."

"I didn't do anything." Neon said with a laugh. "Actually I think I was the one that was kept safe most of the time."

The warming atmosphere of the room was quickly cooled when a loud knock echoed into the room.

Ghira groaned in irritation. "I forgot the meeting was today."

"Dear?" Kali placed her hand on his.

"It's fine." he smiled. "I'll be back in a moment."

Ghira rose from the table and headed towards the door. As Sun and Neon watched him walk away, Blake noticed her mother's somewhat worried expression.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

Kali's normal demeanor returned. "Hm? It's nothing just…awful timing. Normally your father would reschedule, but they've been a tad aggressive lately."

"Who?"

"The White Fang." Kali nonchalantly answered.

The teens' eyes widened in shock. Without hesitation they ran to the door.

"Blake? What's going on?!" her mother called.

The trio saw Ghira speaking with two men in black and white robes with red hoods – the shorter one with fox ears sticking out from the top while the taller had a bushy tale swaying behind him.

"Dad!" Blake shouted.

Suffice to say her father was surprised by her sudden appearance. "Blake? What's wrong? You look upset."

The men in hoods bowed before her.

"Young Miss Belladonna." The taller one greeted.

"We were unaware that had returned home." The short one added.

"Why are you talking to these men?" Blake questioned her father.

"Corsac and Fennec Albain." Ghira introduced. "They are the White Fang's representatives in Menagerie."

"You mean those wackos are here too?!" Sun exclaimed.

"That's not good." Neon gasped.

"I'm not sure what you all may have heard about our organization, but I assure you mean you no harm." Fennec explained. "Regrettably, the media has cast us in a rather negative light as of late."

"Yeah right." Neon muttered.

"We didn't have to **hear** anything." Blake asserted. "We saw it with our own eyes in Vale. You're murderers."

Ghira's eyes narrowed in light of his daughter's accusations. "What is she talking about?"

"That is exactly why we sought this audience with you, your grace." Corsac said.

"Is everything alright?" Kali joined the others, her worry growing ever since Blake and the others ran off.

"Things are just a little tense right now." Neon explained to her through a nervous smile.

Blake was stewing in her anger, but Sun was confused.

"Hold on. Are you guys serious right now? You don't know?" He asked.

Ghira looked to him. "Know what?"

"The White Fang were there when Beacon fell." Blake revealed. "They attacked innocent civilians, and released all of those Grimm into the school."

"Is what she says true?"

Ghira turned to the White Fang members, her hardened stare sending chills down their spines.

Fennec bowed his head in apology. "Sadly it is."

"Don't you try to-"

"Enough." Ghira held out his arm, stopping Blake from advancing further. "Explain yourselves. Now."

"It is difficult to admit, but the Vale branch of our group has chosen to no longer follow the wishes of High Leader Khan." Corsac responded. "They have instead chosen to follow the edict of a man known as Adam Taurus. I'm sure you are more than familiar with his more…aggressive philosophies."

"Bullcrap!" Sun shouted. "Beacon wasn't the first time the White Fang wrecked Vale."

"The High Council had suspected the existence of splinter group for some time, but there was no concrete proof until this latest skirmish."

"Skirmish?!" Blake interjected. "It was a war! People died!"

"And our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones." Corsac bowed.

"You need not worry, your Grace." His brother said. "We assure you that Brother Taurus and his followers do not represent the ideals of the White Fang."

"Tell that to Natsu." Blake said under her breath.

Neon's ears twitched. She had heard her loud and clear. The bubbly girl's eyes widened in disbelief and she turned to Blake.

"What does that mean…?"

"How can I be sure you aren't lying?" Ghira asked the Albain brothers.

"We do not blame your hesitation to believe us." Corsac said. "Our tactics have become more…forceful since your resignation as High Leader, but Brother Taurus' actions have gone beyond the limits of our message."

"We've numerous documents and strategies detailing our efforts to gather and punish these strays to view at your leisure if you so wish."

"I do." Ghira accepted. "But not now. I wish to make up for lost time with my daughter."

"Of course. We understand completely." Corsac accepted.

"It was a joy to see you again, young mistress." Fennec said to Blake. She didn't soften her glare.

"We were…upset to hear of your choice to leave us, but given the circumstances it is understandable that you would no longer shoulder our cause."

"The fight can prove to be a weary a one."

"What makes you think I'm finished fighting?" Blake challenged.

"Well if you wish to come back all you need do is seek us out." Corsac offered.

"I'm sure Sister Ilia would be more than happy to see you." Fennec's sly grin angered Blake all the more.

"If that is all, then goodbye, gentlemen." Ghira swiftly closed the doors.

The Albain brothers descended the stairs of the Belladonna home, their eyes hidden beneath their cloaks.

"This is certainly an interesting development."

"Indeed it is, brother."

"So…shall we inform, Brother Adam?"

Their dark smirks grew.

"Yes. We most certainly shall."

* * *

"Well those guys weren't creepy at all." Sun sarcastically commented.

Ghira huffed. "You know. I really don't like you."

"Oh don't be rude, dear." Kali said to him. "He's just saying what we were all thinking. It's starting to get late. I should get a jump on dinner. Can you give me a hand, Blake?"

"Ok."

"Blake."

Blake turned around. Neon was standing in front of the door, her normally bright eyes having a noticeable dullness to them. It was obvious there was something bothering her.

"Can I…talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Um…sure." She looked back to her parents.

"Don't worry." Her mother smiled and grabbed Sun's arm. "I'll just have this strapping young man help me out until you're done."

"Wait. You mean me?"

"Who else would I be talking about? Come on, we're burning daylight." Kali dragged Sun into the kitchen with an irritated Ghira following close behind. The door closed behind them, leaving Neon and Blake alone in the foyer.

The mood quickly tensed. Neon was eerily silent for longer than Blake thought was necessary. Though she hadn't known her long she could tell that this was not normal behavior for the Atlesian faunus.

"So…what did you want to ask me?"

Neon finally looked at Blake. "You were a member of the White Fang?"

Blake should have expected that she was going to ask that question. Neon was the only person in the house who didn't know of Blake's connection to them.

"Yes. I was a member just before I came to Beacon, but I had nothing to do with the attack. I was just as surprised as you were when it happened."

"I heard you earlier…when those two said that they weren't involved with that Adam Taurus guy you said they should 'tell that to Natsu'. What did you mean by that? Do you know how he died?"

Blake slowly started to feel her heart sink into her stomach. She expected Neon to ask about her connection to the White Fang, she expected her to ask about her past with Adam, but what she did not expect was for her to ask about Natsu.

Blake fell silent and bowed her head in shame.

"Answer me!"

Neon's shout startled Blake and she looked up. Neon's fists were clenched tight and shaking, and her eyes were starting to mist. It was taking everything she had to keep her composure. Blake knew that this conversation was not going to end well, but Neon had a right to know the truth. She took a deep breath and answered her.

"Adam and I…we were involved when I was still in the White Fang. He wasn't always a bad person. He used to be kind, and he really wanted a peaceful coexistence with humanity, but somewhere along the line I guess that burden started to weigh on him and he became what he is now. He-"

"I don't care about him." Neon quikcly interrupted. "What does this have to do with Natsu?"

Blake fell silent again.

"Blake!"

The former member of team RWBY winced, but answered her question.

"…When I was a kid I was part of a White Fang protest outside of a building belonging to the Vale branch of the Schnee Dust Company. While I was taking a break these three human boys started bullying me and calling me names. I was used to treatment like that from other protests so I just sat there and waited for them to get it all out of their system."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Blake felt a small grin pull at the corner of her mouth.

"Suddenly this weird kid showed up out of nowhere and scared the bullies off. He didn't know who I was or why the kids were bullying me, but he didn't care. He helped me anyway. I remember him reaching his hand out after running the bullies off and saying to me: 'You're safe now.' That was the day I met Natsu."

Neon remained silent as Blake told her story. Little did the pair know, Sun, Kali, and Ghira were listening to their conversation on the other side of the door.

"Natsu? Who is that? Does she mean the Schnee heir?"

"Shhh, Ghira." Shushed his wife. "I can't hear."

Blake thought back to the building explosion. "Some things happened and I didn't see or speak with Natsu for years after that. I had almost forgot about him until I came to Beacon. I guess it was some terrible stroke of fate that we met up again. I didn't know how to feel about it when I found out."

"I don't understand." Neon said. "What does this have to do with Natsu's death? What aren't you telling me?"

Blake's smile faded. "During the attack on Beacon I ran into Adam for the first time since leaving the White Fang. He was already angry with me for deserting, but somehow he had got it in his head that the reason I left was because of Natsu."

Neon's eyes started to widen. Blake continued.

"He said that if I didn't fight him that he was going to kill everyone I cared about, starting with Natsu. I should have known better, but I took the bait and fought him anyway. He would have killed me if Yang hadn't stepped in…but he cut her down too."

Neon reflexively gripped her right arm. She knew full well of the fate that had befallen Yang Xiao Long.

"I didn't know what else to do. Adam was too strong. I took Yang, ran as fast as I could, and I didn't look back."

"...What about Natsu?" Neon was almost too afraid to ask. She already knew the answer.

"Adam…killed him. After I escaped he found Natsu and stabbed him through the heart. I saw the wound myself."

Neon fell to her knees like a rock, her shock painting her face a sickly white. She knew Natsu died during the attack, but no one she asked knew any details about what actually happened. After awhile she assumed that he had been done in by a Grimm, but the reality was much worse.

Blake reached out to her. "Neon, I'm-"

Neon slapped Blake's hand away. "Why…?" her head shot up and she glared at Blake with an intense fury, her eyes filling with tears. "Why did he have to die?!"

Blake was at a loss for words. "I…I don't-"

"Natsu died because of your stupid lover's quarrel! It's your fault! If you stayed away from him he would still be here! He would still be alive! He should have never went to Beacon!"

Blake took all of Neon's accusations and anger without a hint of protest. To her everything Neon was saying was the truth. If she had just avoided him and kept her distance. If she had never remembered him. If she act like he had never existed, then maybe he would still be alive. He would be with his family and the people that love him. People like Weiss, Pyrrha, and Neon.

"You're right." Blake accepted. "I'm the reason Natsu's dead. It's all my fault and I can never take that back."

"Oh, Blake." Her mother said sadly.

"So that's what she meant on the boat." Sun said.

Ghira remained silent.

Blake bowed before Neon. "No matter how many times I apologize I can never make up for what I did. Even so, I'm sorry, Neon. I'm so sorry."

Neon wiped away the last of her tears and slowly rose to her feet. Without uttering a word she walked out of the front door, leaving Blake alone with her thoughts. Her mother opened the door to the common area and tried to comfort her.

"Blake…"

Ghira placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, stopping her. Kali understood and stepped back, placing her hand on her husbands as they watched their daughter walk past them and to her room.

* * *

Far away in Atlas, a beautiful yet melancholic aria was being sung under the pale light of the moon.

Inside of a large theater, Weiss Schnee sang alone to the hundreds of patrons attending her father's charity. While she still had reservations about doing so, she got on stage and sang if only to feel like she was contributing to something important. It was a delusional thought, but it at least gave her the courage to lift her voice and sing.

She stumbled a bit in the beginning. Despite her preparations, it had been nearly two years since she performed for an audience of more than five, but once that fear had subsided she found her stride.

The song she sang was an original composition created by songwriters hired by her father. Weiss didn't think much of it. She would have sang pretty much whatever was given to her, but she did identify with the theme of pain and loss hidden in the words of the song.

Her voice brought tears to various dignitaries in attendance, each one in awe of her talents. In another life she would have aimed to become a singer, but that had long since become the fleeting dreams of a child.

When she finished, the crowd applauded and she bowed. She looked to the upper balcony where her father and Whitley sat. Her younger sibling slowly clapped as he stood up from his chair, while their father nodded in approval - a pleased grin hidden beneath his mustache. This was all a show to him. There was no meaning behind it and Weiss knew that.

She took one final bow and turned to exit the stage.

"Good job, sis."

Weiss' eyes opened wide and she whipped around.

"Natsu…?"

She looked for him, but saw nothing. It was just a figment of her imagination. She wiped a tear from her eye and continued off stage.

* * *

In a lavish banquet hall away from the theater those in attendance for the charity leisurely sipped expensive drinks and dined on exquisite foods as a soft piano played in the background. It was a cliché gathering of the rich and unaffected, and Weiss couldn't feel more out of place if she tried.

As the adults around her talked about various unimportant topics while pretending to enjoy one another's company, Weiss stood somewhat uncomfortably behind her father along with her proud younger brother.

"The faunus receive the exact same wages as their human counterparts in the mine. So their protesting was unfounded from the start. It just sounds like unappreciative prattle to me." She heard her father explain to another elite. It was all crap, the business reports more than proved that. Amazing what a slight shifting of numbers can do to public perception.

"Well if you ask me society as a whole is the problem."

"Do you mean Atlas?" Jacques inquired.

"Not just us. Mantle and the other countries as well. There is no denying the economic gap between the nations."

"So what do you propose we do?" asked a woman of high status.

As the pair droned on Weiss found herself dying of boredom. To her the conversation was less about fixing the problems of the country and more about bringing them up in an attempt to sound altruistic.

No one wanted to **do** anything, they just wanted to give the illusion that they did. It increased their value in the eyes of their peers.

Weiss started to move away when she felt her father grip her wrist tightly and tug her back to his side.

"Where do you think you're going?" he whispered.

"I'm thirsty."

"That's what we have people for." Jacques waved over one of the waiters. Weiss stopped him.

"I'm not a child anymore, Father. I can get my own drink. I'll return soon. I promise."

Jacques was wary of his daughter's words, but decided to let her go anyway. He jumped back into the conversation at hand as she walked away.

Passing through the crowd of vapid socialites, Weiss stopped at the back wall. Guarded by velvet ropes were works of art that the guests were to bid on for the charity. It was a garish display, but Weiss didn't say anything about it. The money was going to good cause after all…at least that was what she hoped.

She stared at the painting of Beacon Academy. After the attack it was hard to imagine the school would ever look as beautiful as it used to. In front of the painting was a plaque that read: 'Show the World We Care. All proceeds go to the Kingdom of Vale.'" The sentence was so ludicrous that Weiss almost laughed. Did anyone aside from her truly care?

Next to the painting was a bust of Natsu.

It wasn't up for auction, but its placement was anything but an accident. If people saw the likeness of the former male heir to the Schnee family line, then they would be compelled to spend more, or so her father said.

"Beautiful. The painting isn't half bad either."

Weiss sighed in irritation. She briefly looked at a young man that had appeared to the right of her. His dark blue hair swept over to the left side of his face and his outfit was a very stylish mix of wine red and black. By all appearances he was an attractive boy, but Weiss couldn't care less.

"Yes. The painting is beautiful." She replied as politely as she could, not sparing him a second glance as she ignored his attempt to flirt.

The boy chuckled. "Guess my attempt to break the ice failed."

"How observant of you."

"Let me start over." He extended his hand. "Henry Marigold."

Weiss wanted nothing more than to set him on his butt with a quick jab of Myrtenaster, but that would be rude of her – she also left her weapon at home. Instead she chose to take the high road and return his greeting. She offered her hand.

"Weiss Schnee."

"I saw your performance. You were...uh…you were great and I'm not just saying that because you're pretty."

Marigold had devolved into an awkward mess before Weiss' very eyes. She was even more put off.

"So…you gonna buy it? The painting I mean."

"No. I don't think I am." she replied.

"I get what you mean. A bit on the pricey side if you ask me."

Weiss took umbrage with his comment. "It's to raise money."

"Really? What for?"

Marigold was genuinely ignorant of the reason for the party. Weiss was not having it.

"Are you serious?"

Marigold grinned slyly and grabbed a glass from a passing waiter. "To be honest I only come to these things for the food and drinks. As well as the exquisite company. So is this another Mantle fundraiser or something? And what's with that bust? We supposed to be honoring that guy or something?"

Weiss could take no more. Her patience had run out.

"Leave."

Marigold was taken aback by the heiress' sudden demand. "Wait what?"

"Are your ears as cluttered as your head? I said leave, otherwise I will have security escort you out."

"Hold on. I haven't-"

"Get out!"

"Whatever." Marigold scoffed and walked away. "Enjoy your party."

Weiss looked at the bust of Natsu and smiled sadly. "You probably would have punched him clear out of the building."

"If you ask me what happened to Vale really wasn't a surprise."

That one sentence caught Weiss' attention. She searched for the source, seeing a garish woman with blonde hair talking to another of the guests.

"They had it coming." the woman said haughtily.

"Now now, honey." The man she was speaking to placed a hand on her shoulder. He was clearly uncomfortable, but she shrugged him off.

"Am I wrong? You said it yourself last night. If they were so arrogant as to operate without proper defenses in place, then I say they were just asking to be invaded."

"Shut up!"

Weiss' shout silenced the room. Even the music stopped playing. Her father saw the anger in her eyes and immediately tried to keep the situation from escalating further.

"Weiss-"

"You have no idea what happened! None of you do!" Weiss yelled.

"How dare you?" the garish woman retorted.

"All of you think you're so special. Talking about your hair, your money, and all of your selfish problems that don't mean a damn thing to anyone! Just once have you thought about anything other than yourselves?!"

"That's enough!" Jacques grabbed his daughter's wrist.

"Let go." Weiss demanded.

"Not until you get a hold of yourself. What is wrong with you? You're embarrassing the family."

"I'm embarrassing the family?! Look around you, Father! This entire gathering is one big sham! You don't care about the family! All you care about is the company and your bottom line." She pointed to the bust. "Natsu is dead, and you can't take time away from your stupid money to even care!"

Jacques pulled her closer. "Young lady, you-"

"I said let go!" Weiss ripped her arm from her father's grasp. In her anger she almost didn't notice the glyph forming next to her feet.

A white Boarbatusk materialized into the room, its roar echoing in the hall as it set its sights on the woman from earlier. It charged. The woman cowered.

"I take back what I said! Please don't hurt me!" she screamed.

The beast leapt towards her before it shot out of the air by General Ironwood. It soon faded away.

Weiss couldn't believe her eyes. "What was that? Did I just-"

"Arrest her!" the gaudy woman demanded of Ironwood. "She's insane! Lock her up with the rest of the criminals!"

The General looked to the stunned heiress before focusing on the woman again. "If you ask me she was only one here making any sense. Enjoy your party, Jacques."

With that the general took his leave, leaving the entire room stunned.

Jacques eyes narrowed at his daughter.

* * *

"Oscar! Dinner will be ready soon! Make sure you wash up!"

Oscar sat alone in his room reading one of the many books he had skimmed through numerous times on his shelf when he heard his aunt's call.

"What did you make?!"

"Whatever it is you'll eat it!" his aunt replied.

"I don't remember agreeing to that!"

"You signed the contract the day you walked into this house! I'll show you the fine print when you're done eating now come down!"

With a grin Oscar closed his book and made his way to the door.

 _We can't stay here._

It was the voice again. Ozpin. Ever since he heard it in the barn Oscar couldn't get it out of his head. He tried his best to ignore it but it was getting louder and louder every day.

 _Oscar…_

The boy reached for the door.

 _Oscar!_

"You're not real. You're just exhaustion from me working all day. You're not real."

 _I understand your reluctance. The very same thing happened to me at first, but you soon learn to accept it._

Oscar started placing some of the scattered books back onto his shelf in a feeble attempt to calm himself.

"I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy." He muttered.

 _I can assure you that you are perfectly sane._

"Says the voice in my head…that I keep talking to."

 _I never said you were normal. There's quite a difference-_

"Be quiet! Is this funny to you? Because I'm not laughing."

 _Neither am I. This is a very serious situation. If it were up to me we would not have to go through this at all, but sadly I do not control the forces that bind us. Our auras, yours and mine, are intertwined._

"I'm not listening to you anymore."

 _…Have ever been to Haven before?_

The sudden change in topic confused the boy. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not listening?"

 _Describe the Headmaster's office for me._

"How in the world would I know-"

 _Just concentrate. Close your eyes and visualize._

Oscar sighed roughly, but relented.

"It's…" slowly his eyes widened as a flood of images spread throughout his brain. In his mind's eye he saw a perfect recreation of the office. "Autumn colored…with a large mahogany desk and tables and chairs in the corner for guests. There's also a tea set that…I gave him? How is this possible? How do I know all of that? I've never been-"

 _I helped build that school. The tea set was a gift to the current Headmaster. He thought it a bit on the extravagant side but still accepted it. If you're still having trouble believing me you could look it up. If I recall your aunt has several books downstairs on the subject. I'm sure you'll find a picture._

"Yeah…that's right. I probably just saw it in one of her books."

 _Oscar…_

"Shut up!"

 _I have a duty that I cannot shy away from, we both do._

The boy fell to his knees in despair. "I didn't ask for any of this."

 _No. You didn't. Neither of us did. But what lies before you now is an opportunity._

"Opportunity? To do what?"

 _To achieve greatness…possibly. The feeling that you were there to lend a helping hand when the world needed it. Now this journey will not be an easy one. There will be hardship, and sometimes you question why it is you began it in the first place but I assure you that in the end it will all be worth it. I know you don't to wish to live out your days toiling fields in Mistral._

"So you just read my mind without my permission?" Oscar was even more horrified than before.

 _…It's our mind now._

"Get out of my head!"

Everything went quiet. Oscar waited for the voice to reply, but it remained silent.

"Is it finally gone?"

"Oscar, dinner's ready! Those hands better be clean, Mister!"

* * *

Jacques paced back in forth as Weiss anxiously sat on her bed. Ever since they returned from the banquet he had been livid. No matter where he turned all the guests talked about was Weiss' outburst and near-murder of that rude woman. There was no telling what would happen when a media got hold of the news that his daughter was an attempted murderer.

"I can't believe this." he fumed. "I mean how could you do something so foolish? Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable! Do you have an inkling of how much that display of yours cost us? This goes beyond more than just mere lien! Our reputation, our very…" Jacques centered himself and took a breath when he saw Weiss wasn't reacting.

"I don't want to be here anymore."

"What was that?"

"I want to leave." The heiress asserted. "I don't want to stay in this house, in Atlas, anymore."

"Frankly I don't give a damn what you want." Her father snapped. "This is about our family name and you seeming to derive pleasure from burying it in the ground."

Weiss stood up. "Everything I've done is for the honor and pride of my family name" she argued. "A name that you married into."

Without warning Jacques slapped his daughter across the face. Weiss could see her expression in the mirror. She was terrified. In all of her years her father had never once raised his hand to her in anger. She felt herself shrinking.

"I am beyond disappointed with your behavior." he said to her. "This is because of that boy isn't it? He's the one who put these ideas into your head. I should have never brought him to this home."

"That 'boy' was your son."

"He was never my son!" Jacques shouted. "If it weren't for the board insisting that I 'better appeal to the masses' he would have rotted away in that orphanage with the rest of the undesirables. Your mother agreed. She didn't believe that Whitley would be able to inherit the company with his condition, but I knew better. He has **my** blood running through his veins. He is a survivor."

"Then why did you keep Natsu around?"

"He amused me. I would be lying if I said the boy didn't have potential. He had no flare for business whatsoever but he was brutish enough to be a fine bodyguard. I'm sure your sister told you of our little arrangement that allowed you to go to Beacon. It was all a lie. Natsu never truly had any inheritance in the company. Our agreement was only to keep my control over him, and by extension you. Your little bond was all I needed to keep you two in line, but now that he's dead any value he had to me is lost. I was almost relieved when his body was taken away."

Weiss was horrified by her father's confession. "How can you say that?"

"Please, Weiss, don't insult my intelligence. You're no better. He was nothing more than a pet to you. A lost dog that could protect from all the scary things in the world. Every time you were scared you ran to him, and he made your problems go away. It's no different than what you perceive me as doing. Now that he's gone you feign compassion? It's beneath you."

"You're wrong!"

"He wasn't your brother. He was just a tool that's all. I used him to gain a positive public image, your mother used him to make up for the attention I wasn't giving her, and you used him because you felt lonely. Sadly the only person in the family who truly cared for the boy was Winter. She tried everything in her power to keep him away from me."

Weiss' fire started to die down. "That's not true…" she whimpered. The more she thought about her father's words the more they made sense. Every time she needed Natsu he was there: he saved her from the Grimm when they were children, he helped her get into Beacon, and he saved her more times than she could count while at school; but there was not one thing she ever did for him. All she did was take, never giving in return.

All she ever did was burden him, right up until his death.

"None of you have any idea the lengths I've gone to keep this family alive." Jacques continued. "If you think running away like your sister or dying a foolish death like your 'brother' will strengthen this family then you are gravely mistaken. Siding with them only serves to weaken us."

"I'm not on anyone's side." Weiss asserted. "I'm following my own path, which doesn't include staying here with all of these 'people' in Atlas. The Schnee legacy is **mine** to lead, and I will do it as a Huntress whether you like it or not."

"That is where you are wrong, my dear. You are not leaving the manor grounds, let alone Atlas, unless given explicit permission by me. You will, however, stay here out of trouble until we can…compromise on your future."

"Compromise". That was just a fancy way of saying forced.

"You can't do that." Weiss argued.

"Indeed I can. Your expectation to get whatever you desire is a clear indication of bad parenting. I aim to remedy that by giving you my full attention. That starts by keeping you here where you are safe and where I can see you."

"I'm not your prisoner!"

"Of course not. You're my daughter. A child. And if recall children are grounded when they misbehave."

"You can't keep me here forever, Father. People will notice that the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is gone."

"That's true…if you were in fact still the heiress."

Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"It's clear that the trauma of both your school's destruction and Natsu's death have taken quite a toll on you. Which is why you have generously chosen to bequeath your title as heir to your young brother, Whitley."

Weiss was speechless.

"It's time to face the world for what it is, Weiss. You're not a child anymore."

Jacques promptly exited the room. When Weiss saw Whitley standing outside the door with a smirk she stormed out into the hall.

"Whitley!"

"What is it, dear sister?" His grin further antagonized her. "You seem quite cross. I hope talks with Father went well."

"You knew about this didn't you?" she accused.

"Why whatever do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You never liked me or Winter, yet have been nothing but supportive since I've returned."

"I never realized it was a crime to care for my big sister. I suppose you should call General Ironwood and have him arrest me."

At that moment Weiss came to a realization. "You wanted this to happen from the start."

Whitley's polite demeanor quickly changed to one of malice. "It's foolish to disobey father. Winter learned that, the pretender learned that, and now you have too."

"The pretender? But you loved Natsu."

"Please. Who could love an urchin like that? I only acted the part of doting little brother because there was nothing else I could do. Why would I care for someone who tried to steal my birthright from me?"

"But Natsu never had a stake in the company."

"And now he never will."

Weiss stood stunned at her brother's words. "I can't believe this."

"No need to worry yourself, Weiss. Finally both the Schnee Dust Company and family name are in good hands." With a devious smirk Whitley walked away, leaving a devastated Weiss in his wake.

She couldn't take it anymore. She went back to her room and fell onto her bed, crying to herself as the military ships soared by outside. All of the pain and grief had finally come to a head. She didn't know what was right, which way was up, or when things would be right again. Perhaps they never would.

"You just gonna give up?"

Weiss looked up and through her tears saw an illusion of Natsu. She knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her like in the theater, but she couldn't help but answer him.

"I don't know what to do. I can't leave and father has all but disowned me. There's nothing left for me."

The illusion started to fade.

"Wait don't leave, Natsu! Tell me what I'm supposed to do!"

"Fight."

With those final words spoken "Natsu" was gone. Weiss was even more confused than before.

"Fight? What does that mean? I can't-"

Just then a spark ignited in her mind. Everything started to click into place. She wiped away her tears and walked to the window. She closed the curtains with a determined look in her eye as she started to move around her furniture. When she had a big enough space in the floor she walked to the case on nightstand. She opened it, reveal Myrtenaster and her dust cartridges.

She grabbed the sword and held it up proudly, a confident grin on her lips.

"Thank you, big brother."

* * *

"This place smells terrible."

 **That's usually how bars smell.**

"I don't think they are supposed to smell **this** bad."

Fafnir, Tyrian, and Neopolitan casually entered the bar in Higanbana. His feet weary from walking for two straight days without stopping, Fafnir flopped onto a chair at the nearest table. Neopolitan sat next to him.

"This is no time for rest, Lizard." Tyrian said. "We have an assignment."

"I'm pretty sure the chick won't die if we take a little break."

Tyrian groaned and went to look for information.

"You think this place has fireballs?" Fafnir asked Neopolitan.

 **Do you mean the drink? Probably.**

"No. I meant actual fireballs."

Neopolitan's face turned stone. **I doubt it.**

"Lame." he poked his mask. "This thing is so itchy."

"Hey, kid. What do you think you're doing?"

A shadow cast over Fafnir and he looked up. Before him he saw three large men looming over him and Neopolitan. They seemed to be quite irritated about something.

"Sitting down."

"That's our table." The man in the center pointed out.

"Really?" Fafnir looked up and down the wood of the table in chairs for something. "I don't see your name carved anywhere."

Neopolitan snickered.

The leader of the group – the bear faunus in the middle - slammed his hands on the table, breaking it in half. The bar went instantly went silent.

"You think this is funny, punk? Kids like you need to learn some respect. Now get out of here before I lose my temper."

"Go ahead." Fafnir challenged, his canines flashing. "I've been looking for a fight all day."

"You damn brat!"

The man lunged his massive arm forward. Fafnir caught it with little difficulty and slowly stood up, his grip on the faunus' hand tightening.

"That really all you got? I fought a rabbit way stronger than you the other day."

"Let me go, you freak!"

"If you say so."

Fafnir lifted the man off of his feet and bowled him along the floor. The other barflys moved out of the way as the massive man crashed into the wall behind them, breaking numerous tables and chairs along the way.. Fafnir looked to his partner with a grin.

"How was that?"

Neopolitan smirked held up her arms in an X. Just then she was grabbed from behind by another one of the men.

"If you know what's good for you you'll take your punishment like a man. Otherwise your girlfriend here is gonna get it."

"She's not my girlfriend." Fafnir replied. "Also she can take care of herself."

"Don't get cocky, you fu-"

Neopolitan stabbed the point of her umbrella on the man's foot. He howled in pain and she threw her head back, breaking his nose and forcing him to finally let her go.

"You little bitch!" He shouted, his hands covering his bleeding nose. Neopolitan continued to smirk. "I'm gonna-"

Before he could finish his threat, the mute thrust her metal leg into his gut. The man coughed up blood, the force of Neopolitan's strike sending him flying into the bar. She spun on her heel and bowed to claps from Fafnir.

"Nice. I'd give it an seven though."

Neopolitan scowled at him.

"What? I've seen you do better."

She rolled her eyes. Just then she noticed the third member of the trio holding a chair over Fafnir's head. She pointed behind her partner.

"What's up?" he asked. "See something?"

Fafnir turned just in time for the man to slam the chair over his head. The assailant was terrified when he saw Fafnir smirk, the attack hadn't fazed him at all.

"I forgot about you. I'm not the best when it comes to counting." a dark grin crossed his lips. "You seem fired up. Let's have some fun."

The screams of men could be heard from out in the streets, accompanied by the sounds of wood and glass breaking along with fire blazing.

When the violence had died down Tyrian rejoined his comrades. He looked around him, every patron in the bar was either unconscious or writhing in agony from a combination of broken bones and burns.

"You looked like you enjoyed yourselves."

Fafnir rolled his shoulders. "It was a good warmup. You find anything?"

"Oh yes." Tyrian grinned. "The young waitress here was most generous when it came to information. It seems the girl and her friends came to this area not too long ago. We're much closer than we thought."

Fafnir fixed his cloak and mask. "Let's go say hi."

"Let's."

The trio exited the bar. When one of the men on the ground grabbed Neopolitan's leg she broke his jaw with a swift kick to the face and he let her go.

She strolled after Fafnir and Tyrian with a smile on her face as she twirled her umbrella.

* * *

 **NEW CHAPTER!**

 **It's been a while. Sorry for that. I was tied up with work for the past few weeks so I didn't have much time to write anything, add in that I've also been neck deep into Persona 5 (Great game, you should buy it) and all my writing energy had been thoroughly drained. So to make up for it I decided to give you guys a "super" chapter of sorts.**

 **Don't worry about Neon. I have a plan for her. I also tried to make Weiss' outburst mean a little more since I thought it was kind of weak in the original, it was still impactful but I thought it needed a little extra kick.**

 **It is also almost time for Fafnir's reunion with his old friends. That one is going to be a little wild so I hope you all get ready for that.**

 **Also on a side note I had to change the title of Oscar's guardian, for some reason I thought he was living with his mom. I'll be sure to go back and change that in earlier chapters to avoid further confusion.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	47. Prelude to the Storm

Pyrrha's eyes were wide in shock as she was rendered speechless at the devastation before her.

Strewn about a war torn battlefield covered in rising smoke, destroyed buildings, and broken weapons were the bodies of her friends as well as her enemies. Jaune, Nora, Ren, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Professor Goodwitch, Professor Port, Doctor Oobleck, Mercury, Neopolitan, Emerald, and so many others all dead at her feet. She was the only one left.

She looked at her hands. They were stained red with blood, but she couldn't tell if they were hers, her enemy's, or her comrades. Maybe it was a combination of the three.

"How...how could this have happened?"

"This is the future that awaits you." a voice answered.

"Who's there?!"

Pyrrha whipped around, shocked to see Amber standing behind her.

"You're…"

"You were meant to possess this power, but instead you only received a fraction of it." Amber said. She walked to Jaune and lifted his listless arm before letting it drop back the dirt. "It was your failure as both a warrior and the Fall Maiden that causes this tragedy."

"What can I do to change it?" Pyrrha desperately asked.

"There is nothing you can do." Amber explained. "The future is set. It cannot be changed. It did not change for Peru, It did not change for me, and it will not change for you. All that awaits is death. That is the fate of a Maiden."

"Please! There has to be a way to prevent this from happening. There must be!"

"W…why…?"

Pyrrha heard a voice calling out in the distance. "Someone's still alive! There's still a chance!" She took off past the bodies, Amber fading away into the ether with a disappointed expression.

"Hello?!" Pyrrha called out. "Can you hear me?!"

"Why?"

"Where are you?! I can help you!"

"Hel…p? Help me…?"

"Yes! I can! I will! Just tell me where you are!"

"Help…me. Help…me."

Pyrrha frantically searched through the rubble for the person calling out to her. Pushing through corpses of fallen Atlas soldiers and White Fang troops Pyrrha heard the voice steadily get louder.

"Help…me. Help…me."

"Hold on! I'm almost there!"

Pyrrha pushed the last bits of metal debris away with her Semblance and was relieved to see a hand.

"It's ok now. I-"

She grabbed the hand and pulled as hard as she could. At once her body went cold. The arm wasn't attached to anything. In her hysteria she threw it to the ground, seeing familiar body parts spread out across the plain in front of her.

"What is happening?"

She looked up from the ground and noticed the location had suddenly changed. She was now inside the battle arena of Amity Colosseum.

"How did I get here?"

"Why...?"

The voice from earlier returned and Pyrrha looked down. Her eyes slowly widened in horror when she saw Penny's upper body, the robot girl's eyes looking directly up at her. Pyrrha screamed and fell over, crawling back in a panic as the automaton desperately dragged herself along the stadium floor towards her.

"Why…?" she repeated, sparks coming out of her. "Why did I have to die?"

Pyrrha was too shocked to answer clearly.

"Why did you kill me, Pyrrha? Why did I have to die?"

"N-no!" Pyrrha panicked. "I was tricked! I never meant to-"

"I don't want to die." Penny cried. "I don't want to…" the light faded from her eyes and she finally stopped moving just before she reached Pyrrha, her body falling to a heap on the stage.

"Murderer!" a shout came from the stands.

"Monster!" came another yell.

Soon the stadium and Pyrrha's ears echoed with the howls and jeers of the crowd, each one of them calling the redhead a murderer and a killer for what she did.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said. "I'm so sorry. Forgive me. Please forgive me. I didn't want this." She curled herself into a ball on the ground, closed her eyes, and pressed her hands to her ears to block out their words.

"You killer!"

"Murderer!"

"It should have been you! Not her!"

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha repeated. "I'm so sorry."

"Pyrrha, get out of the way!"

The redhead was forced to open her eyes by the sound of a familiar voice calling her name.

Standing In front of her was Natsu with Cinder's arrow sticking out of his chest.

"Natsu!"

She caught him as he fell, her tears blurring her vision as her love died in her arms for what she felt was the hundredth time. She would never get used to this.

"Don't leave." she pleaded. "Stay with me just a little while longer."

"Why…?" Natsu muttered. "Why didn't you save me?"

"I-I'm sorry." she cradled him closer. "Please don't leave me…Please!"

"All you bring is death and sorrow to those around you."

Cinder approached Pyrrha, her bow drawn.

"There is nothing you can do to change your future." she said. "All you will be able to do is despair and watch as you cause the deaths of everyone you love. That is your fate and it cannot be changed."

Finally, Cinder fired her arrow just as she had a hundred times before.

* * *

Pyrrha quickly rose from her sleeping bag like a corpse come to life. Her heart racing, she gripped her chest tightly and tried to steady her breathing. When she looked at her hand it was shaking, just as it always did when she awoke from a night terror. She slowly closed her hand into a fist and the shaking soon stopped. It seemed the prospect of violence was the only thing that settled her nerves.

She looked around the campsite at her friends. Thankfully they were still sleeping. She looked up to the twinkling stars in the blackness of the sky. Judging by the strength of their light dawn was still a few hours off.

Realizing this would be another sleepless night, Pyrrha started putting on her armor. Once her helmet was set she reached out her hands. Her palms started to glow in a golden light and from a tree came Milo and Akouo. She caught them with ease and attached them to her armor. Lasly she grabbed Natsu's scarf from out of her bag and wrapped it around her waist. With preparations complete she set out further into the woods.

She stopped at the spot she and Jaune had been training just a few hours prior. There were still singe marks on the trees from her fire as well depressions in the ground from where she and Jaune sparred.

She started by gripping Milo tightly in her hand, the leather of her gloves stretching around the handle of the xiphos. She slid her left foot back and turned her body until her torso faced west. With a sharp breath she thrust her weapon forward, producing a gust of wind that spread through the trees.

She reset and thrust her weapon again. With another breath she spun around on her heel. When she stopped she looked down at her weapon. Feeling its weight in her palm she changed it into its javelin form and got into her stance once more. Shield up. Grip tight. Front foot forward. Just as she was taught.

She swung once, twice, three times then stopped. She then threw the javelin into the trees as hard as she could. When she heard the javelin stick into the trunk of a tree she recalled it with her Semblance. Keeping the weapon at a distance she spun around, seemingly dancing through the field as her javelin and shield slashed through the tree in front of her. Pieces of the branches flew into the air and Pyrrha switched Milo to rifle mood.

In one quick motion she shot all of the pieces out of the air, using her shield to ricochet her shots. Once done she recovered her weapons.

She was finally used to their weight. At first she felt so sluggish when she would use them, she had no idea that the added metal would through off her balance so much. It felt like she wasn't even moving at all times. She had gotten so slow - at least in her mind, Jaune commented numerous times that he didn't notice a difference. Now they were once again an extension of herself.

Pyrrha felt a tightness in the pit of her stomach and took a breath. The Fall Maiden's power was rising again.

Whenever she fought she could hear it calling to her, its flames begging to be used to set light to all in her path. It was a scary feeling, but Pyrrha was determined to control it. If she was to defeat Cinder and avenge Natsu's death she had to.

Slowly she could feel the energy building, her body slowly starting to warm.

 _"All you bring is death and sorrow to those around you."_

Cinder's voice echoed in Pyrrha's ear.

 _"Your fate is unavoidable. You have failed as both a warrior and the Fall Maiden."_

Amber's voice wasn't far behind.

As her power continued to build more and more, Pyrrha did her best to fight the voices.

"Stop it." The air around her started to wave and shimmer with heat.

 _"Why did you kill me?"_ implored Penny.

"I'm sorry..."

 _Why didn't you save me?_ questioned Natsu.

"Please stop..."

Cinder returned.

 _All you will be able to do is despair and watch as you cause the deaths of everyone you love._

"Shut up…"

"Pyrrha? What are you-"

"SHUT UP!"

The power in Pyrrha's body finally reached its apex and exploded outward in a brilliant flash of fire and heat. Nearly everything around her was incinerated in the blast, the light shooting into the sky like a beacon.

When she finally calmed down she found herself horrified by the devastation all around her.

"...What have I done?"

"Pyrrha…?"

A weak voice called out to her. She looked around, spotting Jaune lying next to one of the scorched trees.

"Jaune!" She ran to him in a panic. "Are you ok?!"

"Yeah." He croaked with a weak smile and Pyrrha sat him up. "I'm fine. Tanks to my trusty shield I would have been done for though." He looked around at the remnants of the forest. "Remind me not to make you angry." he joked.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha sobbed. "This power…I can't control it. It's too much. If this keeps up I'll...I'll..."

"Pyrrha…"

"Are you two alright?! We heard a loud bang and-"

Ruby, Ren, and Nora quickly arrived at the scene, and just like Jaune they were shocked at the state of the forest.

"What happened here?" Nora asked.

"Everything is burnt to ash." Ren pointed out.

Ruby looked to Pyrrha's saddened state with sympathetic eyes. She knew exactly what had caused this. "Come on, guys. We should get moving. The Grimm might find us if we stay here too long."

Jaune helped Pyrrha to her feet. As the kids walked away, Qrow watched them from a distance. Even further past him, a raven flew in the opposite direction.

* * *

As the sun started to rise, the sounds of a fierce battle could be heard emanating outside a small home on the island of Patch.

As Zwei watched, Yang and Taiyang traded blows. They had been going at it for nearly four hours, and neither showed any signs of giving up anytime soon.

Yang blocked a kick from her father and with one push from her metal arm, sent him sliding back in the dirt.

Despite the slight numbness in his arm, Taiyang smiled proudly. "Woo! Things got a bit of kick doesn't it?"

Yang chuckled. "We've been at this for weeks now, Dad. I get you're trying to see if I'm ready to leave, but..." she held her metal fist out to him. "I think it's pretty obvious I am."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, kiddo." Taiyang replied. "You're not quite there yet. Your balance is still a little off."

"Is not!" Yang protested before taking a look at her prosthetic. "It's weird though. I thought this thing would just slow me down, but I barely feel any difference at all. In fact I think I'm a little bit faster than I was before. They actually did pretty good with-"

Suddenly her father attacked. Yang dodged his first punch and countered. To her annoyance all of her strikes were blocked. She threw her elbow, but it was swiftly caught.

"I didn't mean you _**actual**_ balance." Taiyang swept his daughter's feet from under her, sending her back slamming to the dirt with thud. "Wouldn't help to work on it though."

With a teasing grin he walked to where Zwei was sitting. The ever loyal pup handed a towel from the stool next to him. Taiyang took it, Zwei earning a scratch behind the ear for his trouble. Yang remained still on the ground, her eyes gazing at the brilliant blue sky above.

"I saw you in the tournament." She heard her father say.

"So what? You gonna tell me how sloppy I was?"

"More like predictable…and stubborn." he replied. "Also a wee-bit boneheaded."

Yang sat up. Her father continued to talk.

"Funny thing. I doubt you noticed, but you used your Semblance in every fight you were in past the qualifying round."

"So?" Yang turned her back to him. "How is that different from anyone using their Semblance?"

"Well seeing as how not everyone's Semblance is them throwing a hissy fit, I'd say it's very different."

Yang continued to pout, but her father laughed. He walked over and knelt down next to her.

"You take pain and dish it out twice as hard, but you're not invulnerable. It's cool in a pinch but what happens if you miss? Or better yet face someone tougher than you? Then you're just angry, weak, and tired. Not a good combo, kiddo."

Yang started to smile.

"Did I say something funny?"

"Not really. It's just I've heard something like this before…from a friend."

* * *

It was the week before the Vytal Festival, and Yang was bored out of her mind. Ruby had gone home to Patch to visit their mother's grave, Weiss was studying for the exams after the tournament, and Blake and ran off to who knows where doing God knows what. Yes for all intents and purposes Yang was truly alone, a white hot ball of energy with nowhere to relieve herself.

"This sucks!" she shouted to no one in particular/ "There's gotta be something to do around here." She surveyed the students in the courtyard. A good majority of them were guests from the other schools. She briefly thought of starting conversations with them, but it would have been way too awkward. "Maybe I could pay Junior a visit. That would be a nice way to let off some steam."

On her way to the air ship docks, Yang was stopped by the sight of a familiar head of pink hair poking out from the top of a bench. She grinned.

"Guess I won't have to leave campus after all." Her new destination set, Yang approached her target. When she was close enough she could quite clearly hear snoring. "Seriously? He's sleeping out here?"

Sure enough Natsu Schnee was sleeping the day away without a care in the world. His body laid across the length of the bench and his head firmly rested on his hand, he let loose roar after slumbering roar on the world. It was clear that he had been sleeping here for a quite a while, but he showed no signs of being moved. Truly he was a master of napping. Yang was impressed.

"He looks kinda cute like that. I almost feel bad for waking him…almost." A playful grin crossed the blonde's lips and she leaned closer to Natsu's ear. "Rise and shine!"

With a yelp Natsu's shot up from the bench and landed on the ground with a crash. "Ah…what the hell?" The sore pinkette looked up from the grass and saw a smiling Yang leaning over the back of his impromptu bed. "Yang?"

"At your service."

Natsu stood up, wiping the blades of grass from his pants and waist coat. "Why did you scream in my ear like that?"

"Just something fun to do."

"Whatever." Natsu rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Nothing much. I was bored so I was going to head into town. Then I saw you sleeping here all peaceful like and I couldn't resist messing with you a little bit."

"Lucky me."

"I know right? What are you doing out here anyway? There are way better places to sleep."

Natsu stretched his arms overhead. "I was waiting on Weiss. She said she wanted to get something to eat after she was done studying. Is she done yet?"

"Nope."

Natsu groaned.

"Where is the rest of your team?"

Natsu shrugged. "Beats me. Cinder said they had some important stuff to take care of so I wouldn't see them for a couple of days. She said they'd be back for the tournament though."

"They're lucky they postponed classes so we could prep for the festival."

"Yeah, but this still sucks." he complained. "She told me that we were going to train until the tournament started. I hoped we could make up some battle plans or something."

"I'm surprised you think about things like that. You strike me more as the type of guy that just charges in without thinking."

"I use my brain…sometimes." Natsu defended. "Charging in is just more fun."

"You got that right." Yang agreed. "What about Pyrrha? I thought you two lovebirds would be hanging around each other all the time now that you're finally official."

"She's training with her team. Said she'll be busy with that until the festival."

"Poor baby." Yang teased.

"Did you want something or are you just here to make fun of me?"

"I can't do both?"

Natsu glared at the blonde.

"Oh don't make that face. Oh I know!" She grabbed his wrist and started to drag him away. "Come on. Let's go do something fun."

"Wait. Hold on. Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Yang pulled her hapless friend all the way to the Emerald Forest, more specifically the area where the relics used to sit during the Entrance Exam.

"What are we doing here?" Natsu asked. "Fighting Grimm?"

Yang started to stretch. "Not if we can help it. Apparently Professor Ozpin punched up the security after the incident during the Entrance Exam. If we do see any Grimm they'll probably be a bunch of weaklings."

"Ok. So what _**are**_ we doing?"

"Sparring."

"Sparring?"

"Yeah sparring. You know training?"

"I know what sparring is."

"Then why did you ask what it was?"

"I didn't ask what it was! I was asking why we're doing it!"

Yang grinned. Natsu was started to get irritated and she was enjoying every second of it. It was always fun to mess with him.

"Well I'm feeling a bit stiff from doing nothing all day so I wanted to loosen up some before the tournament. You feel the same right? I could tell by that bored look on your face."

Natsu pondered her words for a moment before smiling in approval. "Alright, you're on."

"That's the spirit!" Yang beamed. "So how do you wanna do this? Naked?"

Natsu tilted his head to the side. "Why do I have to take my clothes off for a spar?"

Yang laughed. "That's not what I meant, Bubblegum Head. 'Naked' means no weapons. Although I wouldn't complain if you wanted to take your shirt off at least."

"I'll pass."

Yang pouted. "You're no fun. So what's it gonna be?"

"We can do it without weapons." Natsu accepted. "It'll be a little more fun that way."

"Naked it is."

Yang took off her Ember Celica gauntlets and placed them to the side, Natsu did the same with Black Summer.

"I know we're sparring, but don't hold back just because I'm a girl." Yang said. She held up her fist. "If you do I'll knock you out."

Natsu grinned. "I don't know how to hold back."

"That's not really a good thing."

"Besides I've been wanting to fight you for a while. I'm kinda psyched I get to do it before the tournament."

"Funny. I feel the same way-"

Without warning Natsu charged Yang. His first punch whizzed past her head. She caught his second.

"Whoa! You could have at least given me a signal."

Natsu smirked. "Where's the fun in that?"

He shifted his weight and turned into her. Switching his grip, Natsu grabbed Yang by the arm and tossed her over his shoulder. Yang managed to land on her feet a few meters ahead of him. With a shout she darted forward with her fist drawn back. When Natsu ducked, Yang smirked; she had caught him.

Lifting her knee, Yang hit Natsu square under the chin. The shock rocked the pinkette and Yang lunged forward again, this time burying her elbow into his chest. She chased him as he rolled along the ground.

Natsu hopped to his feet and in one quick burst tackled Yang to the ground. She tried fighting him off, her hard fists bashing his arms and chest, but it proved ineffective. Natsu lifted Yang and rammed her into a nearby tree. As soon as her back hit the trunk, Yang felt the wind leave her lungs for a moment. After finally forcing him to one knee with a club to the top of his head, Yang kicked Natsu off of her. Even though her legs were somewhat wobbly from being slammed, she still managed to run forward.

Their next exchange was a fierce one, each punch and kick more crushing than the last. Yang had the better overall technique, but Natsu was stronger. and just a fraction faster. It was like fighting a machine.

Two strikes from Natsu - one to the sternum and the other to the gut - forced Yang back. She was starting to get tired.

"Ready to give up yet?" he taunted.

Yang smirked and raised her fists. "Not on your life, Pinkie. Bring it."

"You asked for it!" Natsu raced to Yang. She smiled wider.

 _He took the bait._

Natsu lunged forward, but Yang ducked under his punch. When she looked up to him, her eyes were glowing a bright red. With a yell she threw all of her weight into a punch that sent her opponent flying through the trees.

"How did you like that?!" When Yang finally realized what happened her wide smile quickly faded. "Oh crap! Natsu!"

She took off running as fast as she could in her tired state, eventually finding her friend's arm sticking out under a mass of destroyed trees and stones.

"Hold on! I'll get you out!" Yang dug him out as quickly as she could. When she reached him his eyes were wide open and there was huge bump on the side of his face. "Natsu? Are you…"

"That was awesome!" he shouted, he tried to smile but the bump made it impossible without hurting. He sat up. "You did that same thing when we fought that robot on the bridge right?! What was that?!"

Yang – still shocked at how energetic he was – answered as best she could. "That's...uh...that's my semblance. I absorb damage and give it back twice as hard."

"Whoa! You're like some kind of battle sponge!"

"Please don't call me that." Yang sat next to him. "You're way better than I thought, I could barely keep up."

"Yeah. You're strong too, but kinda predictable."

Yang took offense to this. "What? I am not."

"You totally are. You always lead with your left for starters. Then you go low, high, low, low, and then high again. You also hop a little bit before you kick."

Yang was amazed. Now that she thought about it Natsu was completely right. "How did you figure that out so fast?"

"My sister made me learn how to read how people when she was training me."

"Weiss?"

"No. My older sister."

"No foolin? I didn't know you had an older sister."

"Yep. She's pretty scary, but she also taught me how to fight. I couldn't use swords and stuff like Weiss could so Winter taught me how to use my fists. She wasn't my first teacher though."

"Who was that?"

"You know what? I don't really remember. I know I was with somebody before I got adopted, but I can't remember who. All I know is that they taught me how to fight and that they left me in the orphanage in Atlas."

"Was it your real mom maybe?" Yang suggested.

"I don't think so. When I try to think about the person they felt more like a big sister than a mom. I do sometimes wonder why they left me in the orphanage though. Maybe I did something bad."

Yang could see Natsu's mood start to sadden. She empathized with him. She too wondered why her mother had abandoned her. They were alike in more ways than one.

"So you want to go again?"

Natsu's sudden question caught Yang completely off-guard, pulling her from her sullen thoughts.

"You want to keep going?"

"Yeah. You still can right?"

"No." Yang fell back in the dirt. "I'm exhausted. How are you not?"

"Guess I just have more stamina than you." Natsu laughed. He tried to stand up, but immediately fell back to his butt. "I guess I'm exhausted too."

Yang laughed loud. "What happened to 'having more stamina'?"

"I'm just a little tired is all. I'll be back to my feet in no time."

"Whatever you say, bubblegum head."

"Sponge cake."

"…What?"

"That's your nickname from now on."

"Now what made you think _**that**_ was a good idea for a nickname?"

"Well you take hits like a sponge, and cake is sweet, and girls like sweet things so Sponge Cake."

"You're lucky I'm too weak to punch you right now." Yang grinned. "There is no way I'm letting you call me that."

"If you want me to stop you're going to have to beat me in the tournament."

Yang smirked. "Oh you are so on."

* * *

Yang smiled ruefully. That happy memory felt so distant now.

"Your Semblance is a good one, but you can't rely on it all the time." her father told her. "There's gonna be point where it won't save you. You and your mother…both of you are a special kind of stubborn."

Yang's demeanor started to worsen. "We can talk about her now?" Her question had just the right amount of sting to it. Since she had been home her father seemingly went out of his way not to mention her mother.

"Well you are an adult now, right? Guess now is the best time." Taiyang took a breath, thinking of the right words to say. "Raven was…well she was great in a lot of ways. She was strong, ambitious, and once she set her mind to something nothing could stop her. I'm so glad that you both share those qualities, but at the same time I'm also thankful that you aren't exactly like her."

Yang gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

Taiyang sighed. "Your mother, she…she was complicated to put it lightly. She had problems, just like everyone else, but those problems not only tore our team apart it nearly broke our family as well. Both of you think that the best to solve a problem is to hit it until it's gone, but if you just take a moment and think, there's always another way around it." He illustrated his point by walking around Zwei.

Yang thought about this for a moment. She kind of understood what her father was saying, but she was having trouble finding a way to properly put it into practice.

"Here." Her father reached down to her. "One last round before dinner."

Yang smiled and grabbed his hand.

* * *

Breathing steady, shoulders firm, back straight, and a serene state of mind. All of these were necessary steps in order to create a summoning Glyph.

Out of the entire Glyph Arcanum, Summoning was easily the most powerful – as well as the most dangerous - in the Schnee family line. Weiss' Grandfather could do it, her mother could it, Winter could do it, and now so could she.

Summoning was a skill rooted in one's emotional state. The state of mind to think of a creature, or an object, or even a person and bring them into being.

The first time she summoned was out grief over seeing her brother's dead body. The second was due to the anger she felt at the vile woman at the charity event. It was safe to say Weiss had the first step down.

The other key component however, was controlling that emotion. Once something was summoned it follows its master's will whether they were conscious of it or not. Weiss was in pain when she saw Natsu's body, so in turn the arm she summoned destroyed the place that was causing her that pain – the medical tent. She was angry at the charity and in turn the Boarbatusk sought to attack the source of her anger, the gaudy woman.

Two separate incidents caused by the same stimuli – pain. If Weiss was to learn how to properly summon, she would have to channel that pain and control it with her own will. It would take time to learn the technique. Luckily the one thing her father's punishment allowed her was time.

Her power building inside of her body, Weiss spun around and stabbed the tip of Myrtenaster into the floor. The Glyph appeared, the air started to swirl, and a large sword slowly rose from the circle.

"Good day, Sister."

Whitley's snide greeting instantly broke Weiss' concentration. The sword descended into the floor, the Glyph faded away, and the former heiress let out an irritated sigh.

"Is there something you wanted?" Weiss made no attempt to hide the venom in her voice, but her brother took her words with a smile.

"I've merely come to offer a favor." he said. "Father is introducing me to some of his business partners in the city. I was thinking that you might want something while we're out. Seeing as how you're…indisposed."

"Whitley, be honest."

"About what?"

"You're jealous aren't you? Of my abilities. Of Winter and Natsu's. Is that why you hate us so much?"

"Well now that you mention it, I can't say that I am. Honestly I find it beneath someone of my station to engage in such barbaric tactics. However I will compliment that you and Winter have a certain grace with your weapons, Natsu was just a brute. Though he wasn't lacking in strength. We have an army, dear sister. One run by an incompetent, but an army all the same. There is no need for Huntsmen anymore."

Weiss felt her anger growing again. "If that's all you came to say then you can leave."

"As you wish. I'll go. I'm busy anyway. Enjoy your…training. For all the good it will do you. Just what do you hope to accomplish by doing all of this anyway? It's not you can-"

Weiss slammed the door in her young brother's face using a Glyph. In a sense she knew he was right. There wasn't much she could do while trapped in her room, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. Natsu had told her to fight, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She returned to her stance and focused her energies like she had before being interrupted. Once more the summoning Glyph formed at her feet and just like before she stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground.

The Glyph grew bigger in size and started spinning faster as Weiss strained to keep the energy in check. The books on her shelf started to rattle and fall to the floor, as did her room décor, but she remained steady.

Suddenly there was bang and her window shattered to pieces. She covered her eyes from the brilliant white light that shined from the Glyph.

"Miss Schnee! I heard a noise! Are you-"

Klein burst into the room in a panic, and was quickly stunned into silence by what he saw. Across from his mistress was a large suit of white armor - similar to the one in the portrait on her wall - holding a sword. He watched as the armor knelt before her.

Weiss looked out of the hole in the wall that used to be her window, her eyes filled with a fire she hadn't felt in months.

"Klein, I have a request."

The butler firmly nodded in response. "Anything."

* * *

Blake looked out at the trees from the balcony of her father's study. The moonlight gave the forestland in Menagerie an enchanting glow, but Blake had barely taken the time to notice it. Her mid was too cluttered with other things.

 _"It's your fault! If you stayed away from him he would still be here! He would still be alive!"_

Blake gritted her teeth as Neon's words once again echoed in her mind. No matter what she did she couldn't shake them. Maybe she didn't want to. It was **her** fault Natsu died after all, or so she believed.

It had been nearly two weeks since that conversation. Blake hadn't seen Neon since then, in fact she hadn't seen much of anyone. She had been in her room the entire time. She had her own bathroom, so at least she didn't have to worry in that regard, but it was still a bit worrying for everyone else in the house.

Out of respect for her decision her mother brought all of her meals to her, and her father gave her space. Not even Sun bothered Blake during that time. Apparently he had been helping her mother around the house.

She wondered why she finally came out of her room. She was perfectly content staying in there until she was well old, but when she saw her father working diligently at his desk she knew why she had come out. Neon could wait.

"Honey, I'm glad you finally came out of your room, but if you stare any longer you'll burn a hole in the wall." Kali approached her daughter with a tray of tea in hand and a smile on her face. "All you have to do is say hi."

"I don't…I don't want to trouble him."

"Nonsense. A father is never too troubled to see his daughter."

"I know a few people who might disagree." Blake joked with a light grin.

Kali kissed her cheek and handed her the tray before walking away.

"Hold on. Where are you going?"

"You've always been on the quiet side, but that boy you brought can't seem to keep his mouth shut." She smiled. "I want to hear more about Team RWBY."

"Mom."

Kali stopped for a moment and turned to her daughter. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Thanks…for not asking about what Neon said."

"You're welcome. We all need some space from time to time. I'm sure you'll talk about it when you're ready, but right now I need you to get in there and talk to your father."

"Yes, Ma'am."

With that her mother finally walked back into the house.

"Kali? Are you out there?"

Blake nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her father's voice, the tray shaking in her grip. She took a breath. "Ok. Here we go." Sliding open the glass door she entered the study. "H-hello, Dad."

"B-Blake?! You're here. I mean out of your room."

"Y-yeah." She nervously laughed. "Sorry I worried you."

"No. No. I'm just glad you're alright. Please, have a seat." Ghira lead his daughter to the couch in the middle of the room, eagerly taking the tray from her and setting it on the table in front of them. "I can handle this. Just relax."

"It's ok, Dad. You don't have to. I don't want to intrude on-"

"It's fine. I've been stuck in here all day."

"I know how that feels." Blake said awkwardly.

"Well… do you still take sugar or…?"

"No actually I-"

"Darn." Ghira accidentally dropped a cube in Blake's cup. "I'm sorry. Take mine."

Blake quickly grabbed her cup. "N-no it's ok. I'm ok."

"Are you sure? I can just-"

"No it's fine. Really."

"Sorry. I guess I'm still stuck in the past."

"It's ok." Blake took a sip from her cup, quickly wincing when the tea burnt her tongue.

"You should probably let that cool some." her father suggested.

"R-right." She set the cup down.

As expected the silence between the two was more than a little stifling. Despite being home for a while Blake had yet to have a one on one conversation with her father. Part of it was because of her problems from Vale swirling in her mind, the other was because of the reason she left home in the first place.

"Is it…warm in Vale?" Ghira asked.

"Huh?"

"I was just asking because your outfit isn't very…modest.'

Blake looked down at her exposed midriff and quickly covered herself. "It's modest enough." she argued.

"I'm just saying a little more armor wouldn't hurt."

"I don't need armor. I've been doing just fine without it."

"I'm not saying you haven't it's just…" Ghira sighed and put down his cup. This clearly wasn't working. "I know you have. I'm sorry."

"Why…?"

"Why what?"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Saying what? I don't understand." Ghira moved to Blake's side and sat next to her.

"How can you apologize after what I did?" she sobbed. "How can you still love me?"

"Blake, your mother and I will always love you. That will never change." He pulled her close.

"But you were right!" she shouted. "You told me not to follow him and I didn't listen! I yelled at you, cursed you, and I called you both cowards."

"It's ok."

"I should have left with you and Mom when I had the chance. I should have listened to you, and I didn't. I'm sorry."

"Blake, it's ok. Your mother and I never hated you for doing what you did. The only thing we were afraid of was that you would fall down the wrong path, and I'm so glad that you didn't."

Blake thought of the attack on Beacon; more specifically what happened to both Natsu and Yang.

"But I did fall! I fell and-"

"Got right back up and brought yourself back." Her father interrupted. "Not many people can say the same, and even fewer can face those demons more than once. Whether it was in Vale, Mountain Glenn, or Beacon, you faced the White Fang countless times and came out on top."

"I wasn't alone."

"I know. That's why I need to know. Why did you leave Vale, and more importantly your friends, behind?"

"I…" Blake sniffed, and a vision of Yang's mutilated body entered her mind, followed closely by the sight of Natsu's corpse. "There was…"

A yell followed by loud thud came from outside. Sun fell into the room, having broken the door on the way in.

"Sun?!" Blake shouted. "What are you doing here?!"

Ghira glared at the intruding monkey boy.

"O-oops! My bad! I thought this was the bathroom! I'll just see myself out now."

"I really don't like you." Ghira growled.

Blake rolled her eyes. "I'll go talk to him." She followed Sun out to the balcony.

"Hey, Blake." Sun nervously greeted when he saw her. "I was just leaving. You don't have to-" he was abruptly interrupted with a slap to the face. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"That is for not understanding the meaning of privacy!" she slapped him again. "That is for the blatant disrespect of personal space!"

"Ok! Ok! I get it! Sorry!" Sun nursed his stinging cheeks. Blake wasn't hearing it and turned her back to him. "I swear it wasn't on purpose." he explained. "I have to tell you something important."

"What? What could you possibly have to tell me that's more important than making amends with my dad?"

"When I was talking to your mom she said something weird about the White Fang. She-"

"Stop."

"But-"

"No. I told you on the boat that I wasn't coming here to fight the White Fang, or anyone for that matter. I just want to rest and figure things out. More importantly I came to see my family."

"I get it, but listen. Your mom said White Fang members don't wear masks in Menagerie, but I saw one walking around the market yesterday! Look I took a picture!" He started searching through his scroll.

"Sun."

"Wait a minute. I almost got it."

"Listen to me! I don't care!" Blake grabbed Sun's scroll and threw it into the forest.

"Hey!"

As the two glared at one another they heard Sun's scroll hit something, something that let out a small cry in pain. The pair slowly turned to the trees, spotting a shadowed figure in the distance. Realizing they were discovered, the mysterious figure ran off.

"The White Fang have ninjas now?!" Sun shouted in disbelief.

"A spy." Blake corrected.

"Ok, but why would-" Before Sun could finish Blake leapt from the balcony and gave chase. "Wait for me!"

"What's happening?" Kali came from out of the house, her face wrought with worry.

"White Fang are evil! Not saying I told you so! I'm going after Blake!"

With that Sun followed after Blake and the spy, leaving Kali to worry for them both.

* * *

Ruby and Team JNPR were lost for lack of a better term. Due to Pyrrha's "outburst", their supplies had dwindled significantly and their map had been destroyed. That was two days ago. With barely any rations, no map, and no idea as to how far they had left, their trip to Mistral had just gotten a whole lot harder.

"How much farther?" Ruby asked.

Ren was leading the way now. He couldn't really explain why, but something was drawing him in the direction they were walking. He always had a keen sense of direction, but this was something different. It was like fate was pulling them along the path.

"There has to be a town close right?" Nora inquired.

"I'm not sure, but I think I feel…something." Ren answered.

The path they were walking wasn't the most welcoming one. All around them were dead trees and murky dirt. It was a wonder that hadn't run into any Grimm. This certainly would have been the perfect spot for them to nest. Perhaps it was best not to think about it.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha apologized for the umpteenth time. "If it weren't for me we wouldn't be in this situation."

"I told you, Pyrrha, nobody blames you." Jaune reassured with a smile.

"Yeah. We're just glad you weren't hurt." Ruby added.

"At least we still have our money." Nora reminded. "We can buy stuff as soon as we get into the next town."

Pyrrha managed a small smile, but she still felt bad. If she could just control her power this wouldn't have happened.

When the four caught up to Ren, they noticed he had stopped in front of a sign at a fork in the road.

"What's up?" Jaune asked.

Nora looked at the sign and her spirits rose. "Hey it's Mistral! We're going the right way!" When she took a second look at the sign, she realized why Ren had stopped. "Oh…"

"Does it say how far it is?" Ruby inquired.

"No it doesn't." Ren answered. "And by the looks of the path we'll have to go through the mountains."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Jaune said. "We don't have much left in the way f supplies. If something happens up there then we'll be stuck with barely enough food and water to last a day."

"Jaune's right." Ruby nodded. "We should try somewhere else." She looked to the sign that pointed toward the opposite path. For some reason the name of the town had been crossed out. "What about this…Kuro…yuri place? That's gotta be close right? We can restock there and-"

"We can't." Ren firmly denied. "That place was destroyed years ago."

"But if it takes through the mountains then it's out best bet." Jaune reasoned.

"It'll take too long."

"It's still better than going through the mountains." Ruby said.

"Yeah-"

"There's nothing there! We just have to keep moving!"

Ren's shout caught everyone off guard. Normally he was so calm and composed, but something about this Kuroyuri place had quite clearly rattled him.

"Let's split up." Nora interjected. "Ren and I can go through the mountains while you two and Pyrrha head for the village."

"No way." Jaune refused. "We stick together remember? We keep each other safe."

"Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere. If we make it to Mistral we'll come back and get you. If there's less people travelling in the group that's less rations that get eaten up, right? Also Ren and I will have a better view of the land from the mountain, at the very least we can find another path."

Jaune didn't like this idea one bit. They hadn't run into any Grimm yet, but they had just been lucky. Who knows what could happen if they split up? But he saw no other way. This was all they could so for now.

"Alright." He hugged Ren. "Be safe."

"You too." Nora returned.

The foursome split up at the fork, Nora waving to Ruby and Jaune before heading down their path.

"Ok. Let's go." Ruby said.

"Right." Jaune nodded. "Pyrrha!"

The redhead perked up. "Yes?"

"We're going. Come on."

"R-right. Coming." When she caught up to Ruby and Jaune, she finally took notice of the missing members of their team. "Where are Nora and Ren?"

Ruby and Jaune stopped walking and turned to her.

"Are you serious?" Ruby asked.

"Of course I am. What happened?"

"Pyrrha, we just had an entire conversation about what to do next." Jaune told her. "We're going through Kuroyuri, while Ren and Nora head through the mountains to Mistral. Weren't you listening?"

"No. I guess I wasn't. I'm sorry."

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked. She noticed Pyrrha had a perplexed look on her face. "You look a little pale. Maybe you should eat something."

"I'm fine." Pyrrha said. "I don't want to waste any food. Let's move forward. The faster we arrive in town the faster we can reunite, right?"

"Uh, right." Jaune nodded slowly.

"Good." Pyrrha walked ahead of the duo.

"What's up with her?" Ruby whispered.

"I don't know." Jaune shrugged. "Maybe it's because of those freaky powers she's got now."

"Probably."

What the pair didn't know was that the reason Pyrrha was distracted was because she had felt an ominous presence creeping upon them. They were being followed.

A raven soared high in the sky, landing on the branch of a tree not too far from Pyrrha's group. Next to this bird sat Fafnir Dragion, along with Neopolitan and Tyrian.

 **They're splitting up. You think they would have noticed those huge Grimm tracks on the ground.** Neopolitan pointed out though text.

"That just means we have a time limit. Take the girl before Nuckelavee shows up." Fafnir said. He started to smirk at the challenge. "Sounds like fun."

Tyrian smiled evilly as well. "Let us begin."

The three leapt from the tree and pursued their prey.

The hunt was finally about to reach its end.

* * *

 **New chapter! It's been a long couple of weeks. On the bright side I've finally finished Persona 5 (Amazing. Easily one of my favorite games ever), on the other hand I'll be dipping back into Nier:Automata soon (1 out of 26 endings isn't really that good of start. I have a lot of work ahead of me in the coming weeks). Haven't had much time to write lately.**

 **I know the reason for the split is a little contrived and forced, but I didn't want the fight between Fafnir and the others to be done so early. I have a plan to link a few things together with the fight so i felt the need to push it back some.**

 **Next chapter might be really big since it's the finale of Vol. 4.**

 **Next time: Fafnir's group finally clashes with Ruby, a Grimm attack forms an unlikely alliance, Blake and Sun pursue the spy, Weiss makes a stand, Siblings clash, Oscar begins his journey, and Yang will receive a letter that changes everything.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	48. Hearts of Darkness

Leaving home was the hardest decision Oscar had ever made.

Until a couple of weeks ago he was a regular kid living a relatively normal – if a little boring – life. Then the voice - Ozpin -started calling to him.

He tried to ignore it at first but Ozpin was persistent. Weaving tales of urgency and destiny that Oscar didn't quite understand, but for some reason felt familiar to.

The more Ozpin spoke, the clearer the picture became, and eventually Oscar knew that he had to fulfill the purpose laid out before him. Without telling his aunt where he was going, he snuck out in the dead of night and began his long journey to Mistral.

" _My apologies_." Ozpin said in his head. " _I know this wasn't easy for you. I wish there was some other way._ "

"It's fine. It's just…everything is so crazy. Leaving home like this, going to the city, and everything you've told me it's all just…"

" _Crazy?_ "

"Yeah. But the weirdest thing about it is that I **should** be freaking out. I **should** be scared, but I'm not. It kind of feels like I'm doing the right thing."

" _Is that good?_ "

"…I don't know."

A thunderclap brought Oscar out of his mind. He quickened his pace, hiking his pack further up over his head to protect from the now falling rain. He finally reached the train station, taking shelter under a canopy near the platform. He tried to purchase a ticket from the machine, sighing in frustration upon realizing he didn't have enough money.

"I'm guessing you don't have any secret money granting powers do you?" he asked his companion.

" _I'm afraid not._ "

"Of course."

" _Wait._ "

Oscar was alert now. "What? What is it?"

" _Be careful._ "

"Careful of what? You're not making any sen-"

Just then a large man nearly three times the boy's size approached the train platform. Watching as he raised one of his tree trunk like arms in the air Oscar braced for impact, but was surprised when the man hit the top of the ticket machine instead. Like a jukebox starting up from being hit on the top, the machine beeped and spit out a ticket for the train.

"Um, thanks?" Oscar cautiously picked up the ticket from the ground.

"Do not let such a small obstacle block your path." The man said. He walked on, undeterred by the fierce downpour.

"That guy…" Oscar muttered. "Who was he?"

" _A figure from my past._ " Ozpin answered. " _One that should not be underestimated._ "

* * *

Velvet sat in her hospital bed, her eyes half-focused on the setting sun just beyond the lake. It had been nearly a two weeks since Team CFVY's encounter with Fafnir, Tyrian, and Neopolitan. She hadn't spoken since.

Thanks to the kindness of a group of passing merchants, Team CFVY received the medical attention they so desperately needed following their battle. Had they stayed there any longer, they would have definitely become prey for any passing Grimm. Fox, Yatsuhashi, and Coco all recovered and were moving about after a couple days of treatment.

Velvet Scarlatina was another story.

The doctors said there was nothing wrong with her body, her brain, or any other of her internal organs. Her vocal chords were fine, if a little strained, and her throat was in perfect condition. Yet she refused to speak. All she did was eat, sleep, and stare out of the window. Her friends were understandably worried. It was clear her recovery was much deeper than physical wounds.

"Velvet." Coco called. She placed her hand on Velvet's, squeezing tightly as she spoke. "Come on, girl. You have to say something."

Silence.

The leader of Team CFVY sighed in defeat for what felt like the millionth time and turned to the boys. "Nothing. Again." Every day Coco tried getting Velvet to talk, but all she received was silence. It was like talking to a brick wall.

"Are we **sure** her throat was damaged during the battle?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"The doctor said nothing is wrong with her ability to speak. She simply refuses to." Fox explained. "Perhaps she saw something during the fight that traumatized her?"

"Like what?" Coco questioned. "I know the scene wasn't pretty, but this isn't the first time we've seen dead bodies after a Grimm attack."

"Yes, but except this **wasn't** a Grimm attack." Yatsuhashi reminded. "This was the work of humans."

"Can we even call them that? Those guys were on an entirely different level than us. I haven't felt this weak since the tournament."

"Yes were completely outclassed." Fox said. "They destroyed our weapons as well."

"Speaking of which. How long until they are repaired?" Yatsuhashi inquired.

"Another week at the earliest. Apparently they are going to use new metals created by the Atlesian Military to reinforce them."

Coco leaned back in her chair. "I wonder just who the hell attacked us. Think they were working with the White Fang?"

"It's entirely possible." Fox answered. "The one I fought, the girl with the two-toned hair, I remember seeing her face on a news report before. Her name is Neopolitan. She was a close confidant of Roman Torchwick. The last anyone had saw of her was after the Fall of Beacon."

"Lucky we found her then." Coco sarcastically groaned.

"What about the other two?" Yatsuhashi inquired.

Fox shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I've never seen them before."

"Great." Coco sighed. "So not only do we have to deal with the rise in Grimm, we have the White Fang on our ass as well. Things keep getting better, huh?"

"What I would like to know is what that group wants with Ruby Rose." Fox wondered.

"Whatever it is can't be good." Yatsuhashi stated. "What's our next move, Coco?"

"We need to report all of this to Glynda, and we also should see if we can find a way to contact Ruby. If someone's hunting her down then she obviously needs to know about it. I just hope we won't be too late to warn her."

Yatsuhashi was somewhat taken aback by Coco's level headed suggestions. Normally she would be one of the first to seek revenge on an enemy that beat her. "Is that all?"

"Pretty much. We can't do much else until our weapons are fixed. It'd be stupid to go out there without protection now that we have both the Grimm and the White Fang to deal with."

"You have a point."

"Don't I always? We also need to wait until Velvet gets better." She turned to her friend. "We can't be Team CFVY without the V."

Velvet continued staring out of the window.

"Natsu…" she muttered.

* * *

Ren could see a cave in the cliff face when he reached the top of the hill. The wind was high and the path was a long one, but they finally reached a point where they could stop.

Part of Ren wondered how Jaune's group was doing. Deep down he knew his friend was right; separating was probably not the best idea. Who knows what could have been waiting for them in the shadows?

Even so, Ren couldn't help how he felt. Even if he wanted to he couldn't step one foot inside that town again. Not after what happened. He just wasn't ready yet.

"Are we there yet?"

Nora's exhausted voice made Ren grin when she finally caught up to him.

"Not quite yet." he answered. "We never take the easy way do we?"

"What would be the fun in that?" Nora joked. "How you holding up?"

"I'm fine."

Nora knew Ren long enough to see that despite his smile he was far from fine. She couldn't blame him, Kuroyuri was still a very fresh wound for the both of them. Though she still wished he could be more honest with himself. Especially when it came to their friends. It hurt her to see him this way.

"What about you?" he asked.

"You're here aren't you?" she smiled. "Let's get moving. Only way to climb a mountain, right?"

Ren was always astounded at just how upbeat Nora was in any given situation. She was certainly a far cry from the scared little girl he'd met years prior.

"Hey!" he heard her shout from the cave. "There's air coming out of here!"

Ren jogged to meet her. Sure enough there was indeed air flowing out of the opening.

"Think it leads to the peak?"

"Maybe. There's only one way to-oof!" Ren was hit in the face with a piece of cloth that blew out from the cave. He managed to get it off, but not before Nora laughed at him first. "Funny." When he looked down at the cloth, his face grew serious.

It was a banner one would see hanging from buildings in a village. Ren immediately recognized the flower symbol on it.

"What's up, Ren?" asked Nora. His sudden change in demeanor was starting to worry her.

"This flower is...the symbol for Shion."

"Shion? You mean the village where we found that Huntsman? But that's miles away from here! Why would-"

Ren sped into the cave without hesitation.

"Ren!"

The normally stoic young man stopped further into the cave, Nora not far behind him. In the innermost chamber they were greeted by the sights of worn weapons, broken wood, and blood splattered on the walls.

"Oh my god…" Nora gasped.

A lone arrow in the middle of the chamber caught Ren's attention and he picked it up. Seeing it brought back painful memories that were long thought buried.

"Ren."

Nora turned his attention to a blood-stained hoof print on the cavern floor. It was leading out of the cave.

"Not again."

Ren and Nora ran to the opening, watching as something large moved through the forest.

Its destination being Kuroyuri.

* * *

The trio of Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ruby had reached the gates of Kuroyuri not long after separating from Ren and Nora. What they saw inside the village was less than encouraging.

Buildings broken down to their foundations, bridges torn asunder, and streets barren of any and all life. Just like Ren had warned, Kuroyuri had been abandoned for a very long time.

"This isn't good." Jaune said mournfully. Their situation was looking more and more bleak the further into town they ventured.

"My mother once told me a story about Kuroyuri." Pyrrha said. "It used to be beautiful place with crystal clear water that flowed through the canals and the most exquisite flowers in all of Mistral. According to her it was akin to a paradise on Remnant."

"…What happened?" Jaune was almost too afraid to ask.

"A Grimm attacked, but not just any Grimm. This one was unlike any that had been seen before. Just its cry alone could stop one's heart. It decimated the village and it's inhabitants in a matter of minutes. No one had ever known whether the village rebuilt after that."

"I think we have our answer now." Jaune nervously replied after a gulp.

"Do you think we'll find **anything** here?" Ruby asked with a hopeful tone.

"I don't think so." Jaune answered with the shake of his head as he moved away some debris. "Everything here is either destroyed or abandoned."

"What now?" Ruby asked. "Should we keep going? Maybe Ren and Nora found something."

"Yeah." Jaune nodded. "We'll just keep going and hope for the best. Right, Pyrrha?"

Jaune called to his teammate only to see she had stopped a ways back, her eyes scanning across the barren village.

"Pyrrha?" Ruby called warily. "Why did you stop walking?"

"What's going on?" Jaune urgently asked. "You see something?"

"Someone is here." Pyrrha reached for her weapons, prompting Jaune and Ruby to do the same. She heard footsteps in the distance. "Stay close to me."

Jaune and Ruby did just standing back to back with Pyrrha.

"Where are they coming from?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not sure."

"How many are there?" Jaune inquired, tightening the grip on his sword.

"Three from my count."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad." Ruby joked with an unsteady laugh. "It'll be an even fight at least."

A shrill scream broke through the tense silence and from the sky fell a man with a long black braid. He landed in the middle of the group's circle, his eyes full of both malice and glee as twin blades extended from the guards on his wrists like a scorpion's claws.

"Hello there." He greeted before kicking Jaune out of the circle.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled.

"I got him!" Ruby readied her rifle, but before she could take the shot a familiar face shimmered into the view of her scope. "…Neopolitan?"

"Get away from them!" Pyrrha started to move when she was suddenly surrounded by a circle of black fire. With a crash someone else fell from the sky. When the dust settled a hooded man wearing a mask stood in front of her.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

The man raised his arm and a black and red sword shot from out of his cloak. "You're the other Fall Maiden right?" he asked, a dark smirk forming underneath his mask. "I wonder if you're as strong as Cinder."

Pyrrha froze at that name. "Cinder? How do you-"

He attacked.

* * *

Qrow could hear the sounds of battle coming from Kuroyuri as he soared through the air. Ruby was in trouble!

 _Dammit. I didn't think they would catch up this fast!_

Qrow had known for a while that his niece's group was being followed by unknown enemy, but they were so far behind that he thought the kids would have long reached their destination by the time their pursuers caught up to them. Something was definitely wrong.

He dove to the ground, changing back into his human form, and running as fast he could towards Kuroyuri.

 _Hang on, kid! I'm coming!_

When he reached the fork in the road a portal opened in front of him. He slid to a stop, watching as his sister stepped onto the dirt path.

 _Damn luck of mine._ He cursed. "What are you doing here, Raven? I thought we were done talking at the bar."

"I cannot allow you to interfere in this battle, Qrow."

"Have you lost your mind?! Get out of my way!"

"I can't do that."

"I don't have time for this crap." He grabbed his sword. "Last chance, Raven. Move out of the way before I make you."

"Wait, brother. I didn't come here to fight you."

"Yeah right. Like I'd believe that." Qrow charged down his sister. His blade ready to strike.

However when he was in arm's reach of her, he noticed she had yet to draw her weapon. He swung his sword, the blade stopping an inch away from Raven's face.

"Why didn't you draw?"

Raven took off her mask. "I told you I didn't come here to fight you, Qrow."

He could tell from the look in her eyes that she was telling the truth - for once - but even so he remained cautious. He took a step back from her, but still held tightly to his weapon. If she was lying he would surely be ready."

"You have one minute. Then I'm helping Ruby. What do you want?"

"I've seen it. If you enter that village, you will only complicate things further. He does not need that right now."

"And just who the hell is 'he'?"

"The one in the mask." Raven explained. "This battle is essential for him. If you interfere you will ruin everything."

"Sounds like my specialty. You know who those people are don't you?"

Raven didn't answer.

"Talk or I'm outta here." Qrow threatened.

"They are collaborators with Salem. I've been following them for quite some time."

"You've been following them? Why would..." Qrow came a realization. "Did you lead them to Ruby?!"

"I aided them somewhat. Yes."

"Dammit, Raven! What the hell were you thinking?!" Qrow grabbed her by the collar. "Do you know what'll happen if Salem gets her hands on Ruby?!"

"I am aware of the consequences, but this is a chance I am willing to take." Raven forced Qrow's hand off of her. "Don't let your foolish affections for that girl cloud your judgement."

"Last I checked you used to feel the same way I did about her."

Raven looked away for a moment. "…That was a long time ago."

"Screw this. I'm leaving. Do what you want."

Raven grabbed Qrow's arm. "You can't."

"Unless you want to stop me by force you better let me go right now."

Raven slowly let go of her brother's sleeve. "Listen to me, Qrow. If you go there not only will you interfere with something you cannot understand…you will die."

He grinned. "A bit too late to playing the caring sister role, Raven."

"I am not playing games!"

"Neither am I. How about this? Tell me who the kid in the mask is and I'll stay behind. Is he a member of the tribe?"

"No. He's not, but he's just as important."

"Then tell me who he is?"

"…I can't say."

Qrow sighed. "Of course you can't. Another secret right?"

"Qrow-"

"If that's all I'm going to help Ruby. **Summer's** daughter. Just because you broke your promise, doesn't mean I'm going to. Thanks for the heads up."

Qrow flew off, leaving an irritated Raven behind.

"Dammit, Qrow." She muttered. She should have known he wouldn't have listened to her. He was always so damn stubborn. "This isn't about Summer. Natsu may be the only way we have to beat Salem."

* * *

Blake chased the White Fang spy through the palm trees of Menagerie. They were a quick one, but it wouldn't be long before Blake caught up to her.

For a brief moment the pair stopped, staring at one another with heated eyes.

"You're mine!"

Sun fell from the top of the tree the spy was clinging to. She leapt away before he could catch her.

"We can't lose her!" Blake said.

The chase moved from the trees to the rooftops of Kuo Kuana, Blake was hot on the spy's heels as they jumped from one house to the next.

 _She's faster than I thought._ Blake said to herself.

The spy once again stopped and faced Blake. Grabbing what appeared to be a long barrel pistol from her waist she aimed at her pursuer. She hesitated, clucking in frustration and changing her pistol to an electrified whip that she used to burst the pipe between them.

As Blake was blinded by the steam the spy tried to make her escape, only to be blocked by the sudden emergence of Neon Katt.

"I'm sorry. This way's blocked."

Blake rolled under the pipe and through the fog. She was just as surprised to see Neon. "What are you doing here?"

"Time for explanations. Weren't trying to catch this girl?"

"Yes I was. Thanks." Blake turned to the spy. "Why were you watching me? What are your intentions?"

Sun appeared soon after.

"End of the line." he declared. "Just so you know I don't have any problems hitting a-whoa!" he was almost hit by the spy's whip.

While she was distracted, Blake attacked. Kicking the scroll out of her hand.

"Neon!"

"I got it!"

The spy tried to intercepted by Neon, but was tackled by Sun.

"You're not going anywhere!" he held her down. "Looks like that scroll is pretty important to you, right? Let's see what's on it."

"Let! Me! Go!" She head-butted Sun, forcing him off of her, but also cracking her mask in the process. She pointed her weapon at Neon just as she grabbed the scroll, her mask finally falling to pieces on the roof.

Blake's eyes narrowed. She recognized the girl behind the mask.

"Illia."

"Who?" Neon blurted out.

"You're telling me you know this chick?" Sun demanded. "But she's not even a fau-"

Just then Illia's skin changed color to red with yellow spots and she attacked Sun, the tip of her whip sending a shock through his body when it hit his shoulder.

"Sun!" Blake shouted in horror.

Neon caught him before he fell from the roof.

Illia pointed her weapon at Neon next. "Give me the scroll." She ordered. "Or you'll suffer the same fate as him."

Blake stepped between them. "We're not giving you anything."

Once again Illia's skin changed, this time to green with blue spots. She stared directly into Blake's eyes. They held the same hate as hers, but also disappointment.

"You should have stayed away, Blake."

With a swing of her weapon Illia created a cloud of dust and escaped.

Without a moment's hesitation Blake turned to Sun and Neon once Illia was gone.

"How is he?"

"He's bleeding really bad." Neon panicked. "We have to get him some help quickly!"

Blake felt a pang in her heart. In her mind she could see Natsu's body in place of Sun's.

"No. Not again. Not again." She muttered.

"Blake!" Neon shouted, bringing her to her senses. "We have to go!"

"R-right. You're right." Blake started to regain her senses. "We can take him back to my house. It's not far. Help me pick him up."

"Ok."

Blake and Neon draped Sun's arms over their shoulders and lifted him up.

"Just hang on, Sun." Blake pleaded. "Please."

* * *

Pyrrha and Fafnir's blades clashed over and over inside the ring of fire. Each blow as precise as the last the two were as close to evenly matched as a pair could get as their respective comrades waged their own wars outside.

"Come on!" Fafnir taunted. "Can't you do any better than this?!" he swept Pyrrha's legs from under her and raised his blade.

Pyrrha caught herself, leaping into the air just as he stabbed into the ground. While in air she fired her rifle. The asked assailant sliced clean through her bullets.

"When are you going to get serious?" he demanded. "You have the other half of the Maiden's powers. Why haven't you used them yet? I'm starting to get bored."

"Bored?" Pyrrha was upset by her opponent's choice of words. "Is this all just a game to you?"

Fafnir shrugged. "A little. I mean fighting is fun isn't it? Why can't it be a game?"

"You're insane."

"Whatever. Just show me your power." Fafnir charged.

Pyrrha threw her javelin at him, but he nimbly dodged it.

"Too slow-"

As if to prove him wrong, Pyrrha rammed her shield into Fafnir with amazing speed, sending them both out of the "arena".

"What do you want with us?" Pyrrha interrogated. She was seated on top of Fafnir, her shield pressed against his chest. "Are you working with Cinder? Where is she?"

"Get off of me!" Fafnir tossed Pyrrha away. Tyrian and Neopolitan stood at his side, the latter helping him to his feet. Jaune and Ruby did the same for Pyrrha.

"Are you ok?" Jaune asked.

"Yes. I'm fine." She nodded.

"You got careless, lizard." Tyrian snickered. "Was the pretender too much for you to handle."

"Shut up." Fafnir wiped away some blood that dripped from his lip.

"Who are you?" Jaune demanded. "What do you want with us?"

Tyrian snickered again. "Who we are is of no great importance to you, boy. Though the two ladies that are at your side are of interest to us."

Pyrrha and Ruby gripped their weapons tightly as Tyrian laughed louder.

"The pretender and the rose in one place." he said. "This is better than we could have hoped for. Though for now we only have need of the flower."

Pyrrha and Jaune stepped in front of Ruby.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Pyrrha said defiantly.

"Then we will simply take her." Tyrian replied simply.

"There's no way we're letting you do that." Jaune countered.

"I'm counting on it."

Within an instant Fafnir had split from his group and went for Ruby. When Pyrrha and Jaune attempted to intercept him, they were both stopped by Neopolitan.

She kicked them both away, clearing Tyrian's path to Ruby. He jumped off of Fafnir's back and slashed at Ruby with his blades. Had it not been for her quick reflexes, she would have been cut in two by the mad man.

Pyrrha was able to keep up with Neopolitan, but it took all Jaune had to even defend himself from Fafnir's attacks. He felt like he was moving in slow motion. All of his sword slices were way off the mark.

One of them missed wildly, allowing Fafnir to kick him hard in the stomach. The blonde gasped for breath as he bounced along the ground.

"Jaune!"

Neopolitan blocked Pyrrha from aiding her comrade. She was simply too fast to get away from. When she guarded a hard kick from Neopolitan's left leg, Pyrrha heard an odd but all too familiar bang.

 _Her leg…it's made of metal!_

With a wave of her hand, Pyrrha's Semblance activated and sent Neopolitan flying back. She sprinted to Jaune as fast as she could and pulled him to his feet

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Jaune coughed. "Guy hits like a tank."

"I can relate, but we can't waste time on them. We have to reach Ruby."

"Yeah but how." Jaune watched as Neopolitan and Fafnir bared down on them. "They aren't exactly going to let us pass without a fight."

"I have a plan." Pyrrha set her shield in front of her. "Follow my lead."

Jaune mirrored her stance. "Right."

The pair charged. Neopolitan and Fafnir did the same.

"Now!"

At Pyrrha's call Jaune dropped and slid past both Neopolitan and Fafnir.

"What the-?!"

Distracted, the two were bashed by Pyrrha's shield and thrown to the ground.

"Go!" She shouted. "I'll hold them off!"

Jaune ran as fast as he could to Ruby. He slashed at Tyrian, forcing him away from Ruby.

"Thanks." She said. "I thought I was a goner."

"Let's take this guy down quick."

"You got it."

Tyrian laughed as Ruby and Jaune charged him down. Surprisingly they were able to hold their own against him, but Tyrian still had the upper hand.

Jaune managed to trip him, allowing Ruby room for the finishing blow. She brought Crescent Rose down, but her blade was blocked, by a scorpion's tail.

"Surprise." Tyrian kicked both of them back towards Pyrrha, who had also been pushed back by Fafnir and Neopolitan. The three huntsmen soon found themselves surrounded.

"You're a faunus?" Pyrrha asked in shock when she saw Tyrian's tail.

"What do you want?!" Ruby shouted. "Is this about Torchwick?! Or the White Fang?!"

"Toy soldiers and plastic pawns." Tyrian dismissed. "We serve only our Goddess."

"Cinder." Ruby spat.

"She wishes!"

Neopolitan held up her scroll to Fafnir.

 **We don't have much time left. I can hear it coming.**

"Neo says the Grimm will be here soon so let's finish this." Fafnir said, putting his hands behind his head. "I'm bored of fighting weaklings."

"Well we wouldn't want you to get bored now would we?" Tyrian cackled.

Just as Tyrian was about to strike the final blow on Ruby his tail was stopped by another familiar face. This one much older - and friendlier - than Neopolitan's.

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby blurted out.

"Hey, kid." he smirked. "Sorry I'm late. Had some family business to take care of."

Qrow pushed the crazed Faunus back.

"What are you doing here?" Ruby questioned. She was happy to see him of course, but her shock was overwhelming her gratitude at this point.

"As I live and breathe, Qrow Branwen." Tyrian bowed before the intruder. Neopolitan curtsied with a mocking smirk. Fafnir remained still.

Qrow looked to his niece for some sort of answer to the strange behavior. She was just as confused as he was.

"Don't look at me. This guy is weird." she replied.

"It's not nice to speak negatively about someone when they are right in front of you." Tyrian commented.

"If I couldn't say anything negative about you then I wouldn't be able to talk." Qrow joked. "Either way I don't know what you guys want, but you need to leave my niece alone."

"Why, good sir, that is simply not possible. My comrades and I were sent to retrieve this delicate flower by her grace. It would be most unwise for us to return empty handed and upset the Queen."

"Queen?" Ruby asked.

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "Salem."

This didn't help Ruby at all. "Who?"

"I think the time for talk is over." Tyrian got on all fours, his tail coiling behind him. Qrow readied his weapon. Just as Tyrian was set to pounce, Fafnir intervened.

"Let me take him. Your mission is to get the girl. You don't have time to waste on this guy."

"I suppose you're right." Tyrian raised himself from the ground, though he felt a bit disappointed that he couldn't face Qrow himself. "We'll apprehend the girl." He and Neopolitan moved to Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha.

"No you don't!" Qrow tried to intercept, but was stopped by Fafnir.

"You're fighting me!" He forced the elder Huntsman back with a swing of his sword. "You should really listen harder, old man."

"Old man?" Qrow started to grin eagerly. "Kid, you picked the wrong day to mess with me."

Qrow fired his shotgun. All of his shots missed. With a fist coated in black flames, Fafnir's fist collided hard with Qrow's blade. Qrow dug his heels in the ground and pushed Fafnir back, chasing him down to the middle of the city square.

 _This is the one Raven wanted me to stay away from right?_ His sword changed into its scythe form. _Let's see what he's got._

As Fafnir and Qrow battled, Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha had their hands full with the duo of Neopolitan and Tyrian. Acting as a sort of barrier, Pyrrha and Jaune held the pair at bay with their shields as Ruby fired dust round after dust round from the rear. This strategy soon fell apart when Neopolitan and Tyrian shimmered out of view.

"Where did they go?!" Jaune shouted, his weapons shaking in his grip.

"Be careful!" Ruby warned. She had seen Neopolitan's semblance before. "They could pop up anywhere!"

"There!" Pyrrha pointed behind Ruby. Sure enough there were their enemies.

"Hello!" Tyrian's tail was aimed at Ruby, but it was blocked by Pyrrha's shield.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Ruby looked to the fight between Fafnir and Qrow. "Can you hold them off? I'm going to help Uncle Qrow."

"How? There's no way you can get close without that mask guy frying you." Jaune reminded.

"That's why I won't get close." Ruby said. "Cover me."

Pyrrha and Jaune and Ruby ran off towards the building closest to her Uncle and Fafnir's fight.

"Where are you going?" Tyrian cackled "The fun is just starting."

Pyrrha held him back by his tail. "Your fight is with us."

"Yeah." Jaune added. "The only way you're getting to Ruby is over our dead bodies."

Tyrian was amused by their vigor, especially since he could see their fear in their eyes. "Then that is what we shall do."

In the center of town Fafnir sliced the through the fountain as he chased after Qrow. Just like with Velvet and Pyrrha he was starting to get excited. Though just like with the girls this fight felt familiar to Fafnir. Qrow felt it as well.

 _Wait. This guy…he kinda reminds me of-_

Qrow was quickly brought back to reality when Fafnir's sword hit his. The impact loosened the weapon from Qrow's grip, knocking it out of his hand completely, and hurling it into the side of a nearby building.

"Great." He sighed.

"Not so tough without your sword, are you-"

Fafnir was abruptly silenced by a hard punch to the face from Qrow, his mask starting to crack in the process.

"You talk a lot." Qrow commented.

"Ow! Dammit! That hurt!"

"That's kind of the point of a punch."

"Let's see how you like it then!" Fafnir swung. Qrow sidestepped.

"Gotta be faster than that, kid."

"You-" Fafnir tried to counter when his head started throbbing.

 _Gotta be faster than that, kid._

He heard Qrow's voice. He had said something similar to him before, but that was impossible. This was the first time they had ever met...wasn't it?

 _Get back here!_

Next he heard his own voice shouting in his mind.

 _That all you got? Gotta say I'm disappointed._ Once again Qrow was taunting him.

 _Fire Dragon Roar!_

"Agh!" Fafnir fell to one knee and clutched his head.

"The hell?" Qrow had no idea what was happening, but he used the opportunity to reclaim his sword.

Ruby looked at the pair through her scope. Thanks to Pyrrha and Jaune's help she had managed to find a perch on one of the taller buildings in the village. She was just as confused as her uncle at Fafnir's sudden headache.

"I don't know what's going on, but I have the shot now." She lined up the scope and fired.

Fafnir's headache started to subside just as he heard the shot. He looked up, barely registering what was going on when Neopolitan suddenly jumped in the way. The blast struck her side.

"Where did she come from?!" Ruby gasped.

"Neo!"

Fafnir caught her as she fell. Ruby had used ice dust. As such there was a small icicle sticking out of Neopolitan's stomach.

"Hold on. I'll get it out."

Fafnir melted the ice as quickly as he could with his fire. Neo was still bleeding somewhat heavily. He saw Ruby on the roof and his body temperature rose. His eyes filled with hate beneath his mask he roared as loud as he could, producing a fierce stream of black fire from his mouth.

"Oh no!"

Ruby leapt away at the last second, but the explosion from the blast sent her falling towards the ground like a rock.

"Ruby!"

Just as Qrow made a move to rescue his niece, he was slashed in the side by the stinger at the end of Tyrian's tail. He looked down, his hand stained with blood as he fell to one knee in pain. Tyrian cackled maniacally at the sight.

"Oh no!" Jaune shouted.

Before he could do anymore damage, Pyrrha swiftly cut off Tyrian's tail. The faunus cried out in pain.

"You damn bitch!" he cursed. "I'll kill you!"

Pyrrha and Jaune stood ready for him to attack. Realizing he didn't have enough strength to continue, Tyrian started to back away.

"She'll forgive you." He muttered to himself. "She must forgive you. It will be ok." He then ran off, leaving his comrades behind with the enemy.

"Jaune, check on Ruby." Pyrrha ordered. "I'll apprehend the other two."

"Got it."

"Good job there, girlie." Qrow weakly complimented when he saw Pyrrha run over.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just a little scratch." He groaned and forced himself to his feet. "We're not finished yet."

He and Pyrrha pointed their weapons at Fafnir and Neopolitan.

"You're surrounded." Pyrrha informed them.

"There's no uses trying to run. What does Salem have planned?" Qrow interrogated.

Fafnir didn't answer.

"Last chance, kid." Qrow said, holding his blade close to Fafnir's face. "Either tell us on your own, or we'll have to force it out of you."

Pyrrha wasn't exactly keen on the idea of torturing someone for information, but this was no place for her to argue. "The faster you tell us, the sooner we can help your friend."

"I'm not telling you anything." Fafnir defiantly replied.

"Wrong answer." Qrow prepared to knock Fafnir out when the young man started to stand up.

His mask falling to pieces on the ground, he looked directly ahead of him to Pyrrha.

Her eyes went wide, her heart skipping a beat at the face revealed behind the mask.

"No…" she dropped her weapons to the ground as her eyes misted. "You can't be...I watched you die."

"What the hell are you doing, Red?!" Qrow shouted. "Don't give him the chance to escape!"

"What's going on?" Jaune called. He arrived at the scene with Ruby, luckily she wasn't too banged up from the fall.

"Pyrrha. Uncle Qrow. Qhat's wrong?" Ruby asked warily.

The wind blew the hood from Fafnir's head, revealing a familiar head of spiky pink hair. Jaune, Qrow, and Ruby soon felt the same rush of emotions that Pyrrha was. For in the middle of them all stood Natsu Schnee. Alive and well.

"Nat…su?" Ruby uttered. She recalled the memory of seeing his dead body in Pyrrha's arms because of Cinder, and her eyes started to water.

"How is this possible?" Qrow questioned. _Did Raven know he was alive the whole time?! How?!_

"This is just a trick right?" Jaune asked with a nervous laugh. Happy? Sad? He didn't know how he was supposed to feel right now. For now he had to settled on confused. "That can't be him. She's gotta be an impostor. A fake or something!"

"No. He's not." Pyrrha said. Slowly she started to smile. For so long she had tortured herself over his death. Blaming herself for allowing him to die on her watch. Seeing him now erased all of that grief. If this was a dream she most assuredly did not want to wake up. "You're really alive. Natsu..."

She reached out to him. To everyone's shock he slapped her hand away.

"Get the hell away from me!" he yelled. "My name is Fafnir Dragion! I don't know who Natsu is! "

"What?" Ruby asked. "But, Natsu…"

Fafnir's head started throbbing again. "Stop calling me that!"

"What's wrong with him?" Ruby asked.

"This must be Salem's doing." Qrow surmised.

"Guys!"

Nora and Ren entered the scene amidst the confusion.

"You're alive!" Jaune said in elation. If anything he knew that these two were genuine articles.

"Yes, but that's not important right now. There is a…" Ren trailed off when he saw Natsu. "You're alive?"

Nora was shocked as well. "But how?"

"We can sort that out later." Qrow said. "Right now we gotta-ah!" he felt a sharp pain in his side and fell to a knee again.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby held him up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just-"

Slowly the air grew cold and the atmosphere in Kuroyuri started to thicken with feelings of both fear and death. Everyone's blood ran cold in an instant, watching as massive Grimm lumbered into view from the opposite end of the village.

It looked to be mounted on a horse - its ribs visible on its black under body - as it protruded from the beast's back like some sort of grotesque growth. It's gangly arms hung at it's and a long curved horns curved out of its mask as it's head ticked like the hands of a clock. There were also numerous weapons sticking out of it's back, no doubt belonging to any poor souls that had faced it before. Grimm seemed like too light of a work to describe the creature. **Demon** was a much more apt term.

Fafnir clucked his teeth and held Neopolitan closer. "Damn. It's here already."

Ren fell to his knees in despair as he looked upon the creature. Flashes of Kuroyuri's destruction played on a constant loop in his mind complete with the screams of the victims.

"Not again." he uttered. "Not again."

The Nuckelavee let out a piercing, blood-curdling roar.

* * *

 **Here is the penultimate chapter of Volume 4! To be honest I'm not too confident in the fight scene here, but hopefully I can do better next time. Originally i was going to make this chapter much longer, but ultimately decided against it and chose to leave it like this. I know I promised a few things this chapter that didn't quite happen, and I apologize. Think of this as a Part 1 of 2.**

 **Next time really will be the final chapter for Vol. 4. Hope you all look forward to it.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	49. Forward

Weiss slowly opened her door, bag in hand as she scanned the hall. As she hoped, it was empty. Careful not to make a sound she stepped out, only to nearly scream her head when she found Klein suddenly waiting behind her.

"This way." He whispered.

The entire Schnee Mansion was dead silent. It was an eerie sort of quiet, one that was usually associated with horror movies. Perhaps that was the intention, for only at night could the presence of the estate truly be felt.

Through all of her years Weiss had never gotten used to the mansion during this time. It was the kind of place that scary stories dreamed of being set in. In fact she still remembered a few stories Natsu told her when they were younger; such as the piano that plays itself at midnight, or how the Grimm statues would come to life and roam around the halls.

Weiss knew they were just stories, but she couldn't help the uneasiness she felt. Maybe because she called the scariest monster "Father".

If he knew what she was planning not only would she be sent back to her room, she would be tied to her bed frame until she was an old woman. Maybe things wouldn't be **that** extreme, but she still wasn't willing to take that chance.

Weiss and Klein hurriedly descended the main staircase to the first floor. As they moved through the hall, the butler received a call on his scroll. It was from Whitley.

"Master Whitely. What can I-yes? Right now? Of course. I'll be there in a moment."

Weiss held her breath. If Whitley even had an inkling that she was outside of her room, he would tell her father and that would be that. Luckily it seemed he was none the wiser as Klein hung up.

"I'll meet you at the first floor library." He told her. "Be sure to stay quiet."

Weiss nodded and continued onward.

Passing by her father's study, the sound of crashing glass forced her to take cover behind a couch. Inside she could hear the muffled voices of her father and General Ironwood. They sounded angry.

"You need to calm down!" The General advised.

"That's rich coming from you." Her father countered. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

"Everything is based on the reports that **your** daughter gave me."

"Yes, the daughter that **you** stole from me!"

Ironwood rolled his eyes. "I am **not** going over that again."

Weiss inched closer to the door to better hear their conversation.

"Of course. How could I forget?" Her father said. "There are much more important things to discuss. Chief among them being your ever increasing lunacy!"

"Jacques!" Ironwood shouted. "Winter is one of my **best** soldiers. I trust her judgement above all else. If she says there is a threat in Mistral then I am believing her without question. We can't afford to take something like this lightly. She's been on reconnaissance for weeks. People are mobilizing. Then there is the sudden increase in trade with both weapons and dust. Someone is planning something and I highly doubt Leo will be able to stop them. Not that he could."

"You would know if you ever trusted anyone aside from yourself." The Schnee patriarch argued.

"I'm the only one I can trust!" Ironwood slammed his prosthetic hand on Jacques' desk, the loud bang startling Weiss outside. "If Ozpin had just listened to me. Then none of this would have happened."

Jacques leaned back in his chair slightly. He didn't like the look in the general's eyes. "You need to take a step back and calm down."

"I am calm. The people of this country need protection. Starting next week, Atlas is closing its borders." Ironwood declared. "No one comes in. No one goes out. At least not without the council's permission."

Jacques' stared daggers at Ironwood from behind his desk. He knew exactly what game the general was playing.

"The council that **you** control." he asserted.

"If it comes to that. Yes. So you might want to stay on my good side. Good bye, Jacques."

Weiss heard Ironwood's footsteps approach and swiftly moved away from the door. She then placed a glyph on the door.

The general tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn't move. "The door's locked." He told Jacques.

"Nonsense."

Ironwood rammed his shoulder to the door, but it still didn't budge. Knowing that wouldn't hold him for long, Weiss sped to where she was to meet Klein.

 _Closing Atlas' borders? That's insane. How could he do something like that?_

That piece of news made Weiss' escape all the more dire. She quickly shuffled into the library, but Klein was nowhere to be found.

"Klein?" she called worriedly. "Where are you?"

One of the walls opened up to reveal a passageway and out stepped Klein.

"Keep it down, would ya?" He said, his voice surlier than usual. "I told ya I'd be 'ere."

Overjoyed, Weiss ran over and hugged him. Klein returned her hug, his gentler personality resurfacing.

"Are you sure Mistral is safe?"

"No, but Winter is there. As are Ruby and the others. If anything I can probably meet up with them find out more about where Natsu's body was taken."

"Please be safe, Miss Schnee."

"I will. Thank you, Klein. For everything."

"It has been an honor to serve you."

Suddenly a door burst open from further down the hall.

"Klein!" they heard Jacques shout. "Klein, where are you?! Get over here right now!"

"You must hurry." Klein led Weiss into the passageway and closed the door behind her.

Steeling herself, Weiss continued through the torch lit passage. At the end she found a door. Upon opening it she found herself at the edge of the family grounds.

"I've been waiting for you."

Weiss was shocked to seem Emily waiting for her with a car. The head maid smiled.

"Where to? Miss Schnee?"

* * *

Weiss watched as the pilot of the cargo ship counted the Lien she gave him. It should have been just enough to get her out of the country.

"You're sure about this?"

The heiress nodded. "Yes."

"Alright. You can hide in the cargo hold, I'll take you as far as I can, but if we're caught I can't help ya. Understand?"

"Perfectly."

"Hop in."

Weiss entered the cargo bay of the ship and sat on top of her suitcase next to one of the crates. The ship started to take off, Weiss smiling as they began soaring over the Atlesian mountains.

 _Don't worry, big brother. I will find you soon._

* * *

In the once desolate village of Kuroyuri a fierce battle was taking place. The Nuckelavee, a Grimm with power close to that of the Dragon, twitched as it stared down the humans that dared to oppose it. Six in total.

Fafnir Dragion didn't like this situation at all. The plan was to take the Ruby Rose and leave before the Nuckelavee had even reached town. However fate had different plans.

Tyrian and Neopolitan were both wounded in the battle with the silver-eyed girl and her friends. The former fled like the coward he was, but Neopolitan was not so lucky, sustaining an injury from Ruby Rose.

The first thing Fafnir did when the Grimm appeared was try to escape with her, but the Nuckelavee stopped him before he could take two steps. So now here he was. Standing with the enemy to save a friend.

"Are you alright, Natsu?"

No matter how many times he denied it, the group insisted on calling him that name. If he didn't need their help to defeat the Grimm he would have killed them on the spot.

"I'm fine, and I told you to quit calling me that."

"Guys, what are we going to do?" Jaune panicked, his grip tight on his sword. "That thing is moving closer."

Ren glared at the beast. It was the first time in a long while that he had been filled with such unyielding rage. Then again this was the only creature in the world that could produce such a reaction from him.

The creature's head titled over to the tree where Neopolitan and Qrow – who had started to succumb to the wound given to him earlier by Tyrian – sat.

Jaune and Pyrrha noticed this and ran to their aid. Avoiding the monster's long reach, Jaune grabbed Qrow while Pyrrha held onto Neopolitan. However, they were both too slow to escape the beast in time when it started to charge.

Thinking quickly, Ren focused his energy and pressed his hand to the ground. His aura flowed through the rocks, coating the four and turning their bodies gray. Shockingly the Nuckelavee stopped and started looking around. It was as if it couldn't see them at all.

"Get them out of here!" Ren shouted.

Jaune and Pyrrha did just that, placing the wounded against a nearby building away from the battle.

When they retruned to the fray, their comrades were doing their best to fight against the creature, but everything they tried was either countered or simply ignored.

"Hey, you bastard!"

Fafnir grabbed the monster's attention and launched a black fireball in it's direction. Once it hit he rushed in with his sword ready to strike.

"Natsu, wait!" Ruby called.

Fafnir leapt high into the air and aimed for the monster's head, but was quickly deflected by a fierce smack from the creature that sent him flying through a bridge.

"Natsu!"

"I'll go check on him!" Pyrrha volunteered and ran off.

Ren ran in next, cutting at whatever he could before the monster pushed him back as well.

"Guys! Run around in a circle!" Jaune ordered. "Try and tangle its arms."

The group did just that, circling the monster and firing their weapons. While it was distracted, Jaune moved in and sliced at its legs. When it kicked him back, Jaune briefly sheathed his sword.

"What are you doing?" Ruby questioned.

"Trying something new." Jaune drew his still sheathed sword. The scabbard extended out into a broader blade - an upgrade from the remodel - and charged again. This time his attack damaged the beast, forcing it to step back.

On the other side of town, Pyrrha found Fafnir rising from the destroyed wood of the bridge with a most irritated look on his face.

"Damn, Grimm."

"Are you alright?" She tried to help him to his feet, but he shoved her away.

"I'm fine. Don't touch me." He curtly replied. "I don't need your help."

"I know." Pyrrha admitted. "I just-"

"Why do you keep holding back?"

The sudden question caught her by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Your friends are out there fighting for their lives against that thing and you're just coasting by. You have half of the Fall Maiden's power just like Cinder don't you? Why aren't you using it?"

Pyrrha was at a loss for words. Natsu - or rather Fafnir - was right. She felt her half of the Maiden's power fighting to free itself the moment the Nuckelavee appeared. It took everything she had to keep it at bay. The last thing she wanted was for one of her friends to get hurt because she couldn't control herself.

"I hate cowards."

Those three words hit Pyrrha worse than any blow the Grimm could inflict. She could only stand there in shame as Fafnir walked past her.

"If you're not gonna take this seriously then go watch the wounded. I don't need a weakling holding me down and getting me killed."

He ran back to the battle. Leaving Pyrrha to deal with her problems on her own.

Back at the battle the Nuckelavee rapidly spun around its humanoid half. Stretching out its arms the creature knocked away Ruby and the others. Fafnir managed to slide under the attack cutting into the monster's body with his sword.

When the monster raised its leg to stomp on him. Jaune shoved him out of the way.

"What the hell are you doing?" Fafnir demanded. "I could have handled it."

"A thank you would have been nice." JNPR's leader muttered. "Where's Pyrrha?"

Before Fafnir could answer the protrusions on the Nuckelavee's back began to extend outward. It let out an ear-piercing scream, forcing Ruby, Jaune, and Fafnir to cover their ears.

"Someone shut that thing up!" Fafnir yelled. His ears were starting to bleed.

Ren – unaffected by the deathly wails – fired his StormFlower pistols from a nearby tree. The beast reached out to him, pinning him against the side of a building with its massive claws. Unable to free himself, the beast prepared to finish Ren off.

"Ruby!" Nora called. The two prepared to save Ren when Fafnir ran by.

"You're too slow!"

He jumped into the path of the monster's claw.

 _ **DARK DRAGON SCYTHE**_

His leg coated in black flames he succeeded in kicking the claw away from Ren, but quickly found himself grabbed next.

The monster slammed Fafnir against the ground numerous times, his bones starting to ache from the impact. It then threw him into Nora, the collision nullifying critically weakening the latter's aura.

Livid at the sight, Ren slashed at the monster's wrist in a desperate attempt to free himself. Ruby and Jaune helped by attacking the horse half. Eventually the trio succeeded and the Nuckelavee let Ren go.

As soon as Ren touched the ground he sprinted to the monster, slashing away at its limbs as they reached for him. His iron composure had long since broken. All he saw now was red.

"Ren, stop!" Jaune shouted. If this kept going he was going to get himself killed.

Ren pressed on with his suicidal attacks. Soon enough the Grimm grew tired of him and swatted him to where Nora and Fafnir landed.

Fafnir re-entered the battle without a second thought, leaving Ren and Nora to fend for themselves. Ren started to join him when Nora suddenly tackled him under a nearby house. From there they watched as their friends struggled against the beast. They were fighting a losing battle. It wouldn't be long before they were victims as well.

Ren could take no more. He tried to leave, only to be immediately pulled back by Nora.

"What are you doing?!" He demanded. "Let me go!" he tried to break free but Nora's strength was proving much superior to his own. "Do you want our friends to die?! Because that's what will happen if we don't-"

Without warning Nora slapped him, silencing his protests.

Stunned at what just happened, Ren finally started to calm down. He faced her properly. Nora was on her knees, her eyes downcast as she spoke.

"I am not going to let you go out there and kill yourself. After all we've been through. I **refuse** for it to end like this."

When Ren looked at Nora, he saw that scared little girl he had met under a house like this all those years ago. When he blinked he was brought to the present, though the tears were still present in her eyes. With this Ren finally understood.

He had been so foolish before. He wasn't fighting out of a need to protect his friends, he was fighting because he was scared and angry. He had become that scared kid hiding while his village was destroyed.

He reached into his boot and pulled out a small curved dagger. It had been given to him by his father just before the Nuckelavee took his life. It was the only thing he had to remember his family by. How would they feel if they saw him now?

Unsure of what to do, he started to find his answer when Nora closed his hand around the handle of the dagger. Her eyes – now free of tears – shone with a brilliant resolve.

"Let's take it down."

Ren nodded and they rejoined their exhausted friends.

"This damn thing just won't go down." Fafnir grimaced. He was getting angrier by the second. The longer he spent here the more time Neo spent in pain.

"I don't know how much longer we can last, guys." Jaune pointed out.

"What are we going to do?" Ruby implored.

Just then a javelin of fire descended from the sky, crashing landed on top of the Nuckelavee. The Grimm shrieked in pain as its body burned.

"What was that?!" Nora shouted.

"Look!" Jaune directed everyone's attention to the sky. There was a figure floating in air. It was Pyrrha.

Fafnir smirked. "Finally."

"I'm sorry I'm late." She apologized. "I still can't fully control the power." She fired another javelin the monster's way, her body aching from the strain. "This is I can muster for now. Please tell me you all have some sort of plan."

Her right eye glowing bright, Pyrrha fired another fire javelin after javelin. Each one slightly weaker than the last. When she started to waiver Fafnir held her up.

"You can't get tired yet."

"Natsu…" she smiled softly.

"I keep telling you that's not my name."

He inhaled.

 _ **DARK DRAGON HOWL**_

He unleashed a torrent of black flames from his mouth, mixing it with Pyrrha's own flames. The combined blaze wounded the creature further.

"Jaune and I will pin its arms!" Ruby announced.

"I'll worry about the horse." Nora declared.

Ren looked to his father's dagger. "I'll finish the rest."

"Then hurry it up! We can't do this forever!" Fafnir shouted.

"Let's go!"

At Jaune's order the other four split off.

Ruby darted from rooftop to rooftop keeping herself just out of the creature's reach before stabbing her scythe in its hand and pinning it to the ground.

Jaune readied his blade and faced the beast next. The Nuckelavee shot its free hand through the flames towards him. Ren intercepted, using Jaune's shield to hold the claw down.

"Do it!"

Jaune stabbed his sword through the creature's wrist and holding it down just like Ruby did.

"Nora!"

Perched on top of a tower, Nora stepped off. Falling like an electrified meteor, she smashed the horse half of the Grimm into the dirt with Magnhild, incapacitating it. Fafnir and Pyrrha's flames dissipated soon after, both of them falling to a knee in exhaustion.

Ren methodically paced around to the front of the creature. Unable to move, the Nuckelavee could only howl in the young man's face in a vain attempt to scare him. Ren readied his dagger.

 _For my mother._

He sliced off the creature's right arm.

 _For my father._

Next to go was the left.

 _For all the lives that you've taken._

He cut into the beast's chest.

"And finally, for myself!"

With once quick slice the Nuckelavee's head was gone. Its body slowly began to disintegrate and black smoke rose into the sky above. The long battle was finally over.

"You did it!" Nora dove into Ren's arms laughing as they fell to the ground.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed his sword. He saw Pyrrha sitting on the ground and helped her up while Ruby went to check on Qrow.

"You alright?"

"Yes. Just a little tired."

"You were amazing out there." he smiled.

"Thank you. I still have much to learn." She looked at her hand. She could still feel the rush the Maiden's power. "But I'm not afraid anymore."

Jaune heard what sounded like propellers spinning in the distance and looked to the sky with the others. They all watched in awe as two airships with the Mistral emblem landed in the center of the village.

"Look, Uncle Qrow." Ruby happily pointed to the ships. "Don't worry. We'll get you to a doctor soon."

"Lucky me." He joked with a pained smile.

After an explanation of the situation, the crew loaded Ruby and the others onto the airship.

"Wait." Pyrrha said urgently. "Where's Natsu?"

"I don't know." Ruby answered. "He was just here."

"There." Ren pointed.

Natsu stood not too far from the airship, the wounded Neopolitan cradled in his arms.

"Natsu, what are you doing?!" Ruby shouted.

"We're about to take off!" Jaune reminded.

"You guys helped me protect, Neo. So I'll let you go this time." He said. "But the next time we meet I'm taking you all down, and Ruby Rose is coming with me."

"What are you talking about?!" Ruby questioned.

"Hurry up and get on!" Jaune shouted.

Fafnir turned his back to them and ran in the other direction.

"Where is he going?" Nora panicked.

The airship began to lift from the ground. Pyrrha started to move to the door.

"What are you doing?" Ren questioned.

"I'm going after him." she informed.

Jaune held her back. "You can't, Pyrrha! We're already taking off! You'll fall!"

"Let me go, Jaune!" she frantically thrashed in the blonde's grip. "I'm not leaving without him!"

"You can't!"

"I said let me go!"

The airship started to violently shake about.

"What's going on?!" Ruby yelled.

"It's Pyrrha!" Ren deduced. "She using her semblance to keep the ship in place."

"Pyrrha, stop!" Jaune hollered. "Let him go! We'll find him again!"

"You don't know that!" she argued. "He's right there in front of us! He's alive! I refuse to let him go again! So let me go!"

Her eye started to glow, but before she could do anymore damage, Ren knocked her out with a swift chop to the back of her neck. Unconscious, she fell on top of Jaune as the plane began to steady itself.

"Ren, what did you do that for?!"

"I'm sorry, but I had no other choice." He bowed his head in apology. "She was out of control. Any longer and she would have killed us all."

"Can you blame her?" Nora asked sadly. "I mean we're all shocked to see Natsu alive again, but not like this. What happened to him? Why did was he working with those people? Why didn't he recognize us?"

"I don't know, but right now we can only focus on one thing at a time."

"Ren's right." Jaune said. He placed Pyrrha next to Qrow. "Once we get to Mistral we can plan our next move."

As the air ship rose higher and higher into the air along with the sun, Ruby tightly clutched Crescent Rose to her body.

 _Natsu..._

* * *

Sun's eyes slowly opened to the light of the office. He was sore all over, but the pain mostly gathered in his left shoulder, right at the spot Illia attacked. He had no idea how long he had been out, but judging from the weary state of Blake – who was sitting in the arm chair next to couch he laid on – it was longer than he would have liked.

"What happened?" he groaned.

"Do you see now?" Blake asked shakily. " **This** is why I abandoned them all. **This** is why I ran away. I'm **done** seeing people I care about hurt because of my actions."

Sun started to sit up. "Blake, I-"

"Quiet!" she shouted. "Do you think I want to be alone all of the time? Do you think I like running away? Not a day goes by where I don't think about them. Ruby. Yang. Weiss. They were my best friends. I loved them more than I thought I could love anyone. I hope they hate me for leaving them. Just like I know Natsu hates me for letting him die."

"You don't know what you're saying."

"Yes I do! Everyone keeps saying they can help me, but the truth is that they can't!" She sat down at the edge of Sun's feet. "Illia wasn't even the worst of it. But I'm done with all of it. Maybe Neon was right. Maybe everyone is better off without me around. From here on out I'll deal with the consequences of my choices on my own. No one else has to get dragged into my mess."

"You might think you're doing the right thing, but you're just being selfish." He gritted his teeth through the pain as he sat up. "I mean sure, that chameleon chick caught me off-guard, but I'd do it a hundred times over if it was to protect you. Yang would say the same thing, and so would Natsu."

Blake looked away in shame.

"You can make your own choices, but that doesn't give you the right to make ours. Your friends fight for you because they **want** to. Not because they **have** to. So stop trying to push us away. That hurts way more than any wound from an enemy."

Blake was at a loss for words. In her heart she knew Sun was right, bit she still had a hard time accepting it.

"Just so you know, next time we go up against that Illia girl it won't be for you. I'm gonna get even." He pointed at himself, only for his shoulder to throb in pain. "Ow!"

This finally managed to make Blake giggle. "My hero."

Suddenly the door to the study fell in, revealing Blake's parents and Neon Katt.

"Sorry about that." The Atlesian Faunus apologized with a smile.

"Oh would you look at that, dear?" Kali said to an unimpressed Ghira. "He's finally awake. Isn't this wonderful?"

The chieftain pinched the bridge of his nose. It was clear their acting was less than stellar. "Honestly, you two."

"Really?" Blake was rightfully irritated with the trio and stomped to the door. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Your father needed to speak with the three of you." Her mother explained.

"That's why I'm here." Neon waved. "Sorry for eavesdropping."

Blake was confused. "What?"

The trio walked into the study, Kali taking a seat in the arm chair and Neon sitting next to Blake as Ghira stood before them all. He took out the scroll the teens confiscated from Illia and placed it on the table.

"You were right." He said finally.

"Right about what?" Blake inquired.

"Adam Taurus is staging a coup. He wants to usurp control of the White Fang from Sienna Khan and launch a full scale attack on Haven. It will be Beacon all over again."

"But why would he want to do something like that?" Neon implored.

"To instill fear." Blake revealed. "Adam wants the White Fang to be known far and wide for their power. He won't stop until every human is subjugated to his will and forced to be slaves."

"Then how do we stop him?"

"We destroy the White Fang." Sun suggested. "Once and for all."

"Is that really the way to go?" Neon questioned. She was unsure about trying to take on the organization with such few people.

"No. It's not." Blake answered, rising from her seat. "We won't destroy the White Fang. We're going to take it back."

The others smiled at this idea.

"A gran strategy." Her father complimented.

"Yes." Her mother nodded. "I wholeheartedly agree."

"Sounds awesome." Sun grinned.

"Count me in!" Neon chirped. "It sounds dangerous, but the fun kind of dangerous!"

Blake smiled warmly at her friends and her family. She was glad they supported her decision. "Thank you, everyone."

"You don't have to thank us, honey." Her mother assured. "We're always here to help. Now who's hungry? I just finished making lunch."

"Oh me! Me!" Sun raised his hand. "I'm starving!"

Kali giggled. "I imagine you are. Eat as much as you like. I made plenty."

"Thanks, Mrs. B!" Sun bounced out of the room without a care in the world, completely forgetting about his shoulder injury.

"How much longer does he have to be here?" Ghira muttered.

"Be nice." Kali hissed. "Are you coming, Blake?"

"I'll be there in a minute. I just wanted to look for something first."

"I'll stay and help you." Neon volunteered.

"No that's ok. I can-"

"Nonsense. Four eyes are better than two right?"

Realizing that she couldn't win this fight, Blake acquiesced. "Ok. You can help, but don't break anything."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Don't take too long you two." Her mother warned. "You wouldn't want your food to get cold. Or worse, let Sun eat it all."

"We won't." Blake said. When her parents were gone she started searching around the study along with Neon.

"What are we looking for?" The bubbly girl asked.

"A small black box. It shouldn't be much bigger than your head."

"What's in it?"

"I'll show you when we find it."

The two girls searched for the illusive box with nothing but an uncomfortable silence between them. They hadn't seen one another, let alone spoken since Blake told Neon about Natsu's death.

Blake was surprised when Neon aided her and Sun against Illia. She thought Neon had all but hated her guts at this point, not that she would have blamed her. Had the roles been reversed she certainly would have. Perhaps she was only being nice for appearances. They did have a common enemy after all. They both wanted Adam Taurus to face justice for what he had done.

"Is this it?"

Neon grabbed a small black and red box from under Ghira's desk and showed it to Blake.

"That's the one. Nice work. You can put it on the table."

"You got it."

Blake undid the latch on the box and slowly raised the lid.

"Hold on." Neon said.

"What is it?"

"Before you open that box I have something I want to say."

"Um…ok." Blake closed the lid and faced her.

"I just wanted to say…I'm sorry."

Blake was taken aback. "For what?"

"For flipping out on you the other day. It was totally not ok. I shouldn't have been so cruel."

"It's ok." Blake reassured. "I understand. If I was in your shoes I would have done the same thing. You really cared about Natsu, and it was my fault he died so-"

"Please stop saying that." Neon interrupted. "It's not your fault he died. The only person to blame is that Adam Taurus guy."

"But Adam was **my** problem." Blake asserted. "He was after me and I ran away. If I had just stayed and faced him Natsu would still be alive and Yang wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Or you could have ended up dead and what happened to those two would have still happened." Neon pointed out. "Flint told me one time that you can't always predict what's going to happen. Sometimes things just play out how they are going to play out no matter what you do. Who says Natsu still wouldn't have died?"

Blake was silenced by this morbid possibility, even more so that such a grim thought was coming from Neon. Once more she was surprised that it made sense.

"It's like Sun said, you can't make choices for your friends, and if I know Natsu – which I do – he'd do what he did a thousand more times. That's just the kind of guy he was."

A warm grin slowly carved a path onto Blake's face. "Yeah…he was."

Neon giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that you talk about how much I cared about Natsu when it's clear you had feelings for him too."

Blake's cheeks flushed red. "W-What are you talking about?!"

"You don't have to hide it." Neon teased. "I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him. That little twinkle. You loved him didn't you?"

Blake fell silent for a moment, her face getting redder and redder. She quickly looked away. "I don't know…Maybe I do...did! Maybe I did."

"I knew it." Neon boasted.

Blake's serious expression returned. "But that doesn't matter anymore. Natsu's dead, and nothing will bring him back."

Neon's mood fell as well. "I know, but that doesn't mean that your feelings are any less valid. In fact I think they make you even stronger."

"What do you mean?"

Neon pointed to Blake's heart. "The feelings you have in here for Natsu and your friends. They keep pushing you forward and kept you on beat. If you didn't have them you wouldn't have come this far. I know **I** wouldn't have."

"My heart?" Blake didn't quite understand, but at the same time she felt Neon was telling some sort of truth.

"So let's take back the White Fang." Neon declared. "Not just for the world, but for Natsu and our friends as well."

Blake nodded with a determined smile. "You're right. Thank you, Neon."

"Anytime. Now what's in that box?"

"Something I never thought I'd see again."

Blake opened the box, revealing two flags. One was black with Adam's faction logo for the White Fang painted on it in blood red. The other – which Blake took out of the box – was blue, with the old White Fang logo emblazoned proudly in white on the cloth.

* * *

In a spacious room located deep within Salem's palace, arcs of fire could be seen lighting up a dark space.

One by one Grimm disintegrated into nothing, the brilliant flames destroying their forms as quickly as they appeared.

In the middle of this destruction was Cinder Fall.

Her body sore from constant use of her power, she struggled to stay on her feet as more Grimm circled her. Before this sort of exercise would be child's play, but ever since her encounter with Ruby Rose Cinder had trouble controlling her power for long periods of time.

Her muscles and bones were starting to burn, but she kept going. She refused to be weak again.

Four Beowolves slowly advanced towards her. With a wave of her right arm an arc of fire ride her sight of the beasts. Weary from constant battle, Cinder barely noticed the Beringel jumping towards her. With her last ounce of strength the killed the monster with her right hand, immediately collapsing to her knees afterwards.

"That's enough."

Salem glided into the room, her disappointment in her protege flowing through her gaze.

"I thought you desired power above all else." She said. "Was that a lie?"

Cinder gritted her teeth and faced her master, shaking her head in answer to her question.

"Then stop holding back. If you truly wish to master these powers you must-"

Suddenly the door to the chamber swung open, and in shambled a whimpering Tyrian.

"She will forgive me." He whined. "Please. Forgive."

He prostrated himself before his Queen.

"Tyrian." Salem addressed. "Were you able to complete your task?"

"I-"

As he started to answer the doors flew open once again, this time accompanied by an angered roar.

"CALLOWS!"

Fafnir tackled Tyrian to the floor and raised his sword to his throat.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!"

Tyrian managed to kick Fafnir away and he scurried next to Salem.

"Stop running, coward!"

"Restrain him!"

At his mother's command three Beowolves appeared and held Fafnir down.

"Let go of me!" he tried to force himself free, but to no avail.

"Fafnir, you will cease this foolishness at once."

The enraged young man started to calm down when he saw Salem looming over him, her eyes glowing. Once he was back to his senses, she ordered the Grimm off of him.

"Speak." She ordered. "What is the meaning of this?"

"He abandoned us!" Fafnir accused, pointing directly at a still frightened Tyrian. "Right in the middle of the fight he turned tail and ran like a coward!"

"Is this true, Tyrian?"

Tyrian bowed his head. "…Y-yes, my Queen."

"Were you at least able to retrieve the girl?"

Fafnir looked away. "No. She escaped."

Without another word Salem started to leave.

"But it wasn't my fault!" Fafnir argued. "Tyrian deserted us! Then the Nuckelavee showed up and-"

"I do not wish to wish to hear excuses from you, Fafnir." Salem coldly stated. "I allowed you to join this mission in hopes that you would complete it, and you failed me. There is nothing more to be said."

"But all is not lost!" Tyrian interjected. "Qrow Branwen! I wounded him. Poisoned him with my tail's stinger. He will no longer be a threat to us. I made sure of that. Have **I** pleased you?"

Salem stopped for a moment. "The last eye is blinded." She looked to the pair from over her shoulder. "You **both** disappoint me."

"Mother!" Fafnir called. "Neo is in the lab. She was injured really bad in the fight and needs help. Where's Watts?"

"Watts is completing the task I gave to him as I ordered. I told you that when you brought that girl here that she is **your** responsibility. If you wish to save her life then you must find a way to do that on your **own**." With that Salem left the chamber.

Tyrian was crushed at Salem's rejection. Bawling like a child, his mood quickly shifted from despair to hysterical when a Beowolf attempted to attack him.

Whipping the creature with what was left of his tail, he jumped on the beast stabbed into it with his claws. Cinder watched in horrified awe as Tyrian's anguished crying turned to maniacal laughter the more he stabbed the long dead Grimm.

As she thought of what to do, a loud bang caught her attention. Her eye was now focused on Fafnir. He stood next to a large hole in the wall; no doubt created in the midst of his anger. Cinder attempted to comfort her lover, but he abruptly shrugged her off.

"Leave me alone." He snapped. "I'm going to check on Neo."

He exited the chamber. Leaving behind a lonely Cinder and a crazed Tyrian.

* * *

Fafnir watched impatiently as Emerald dressed Neopolitan's wounds. She came into the lab not long after he did, stating that Cinder had sent her to check on him. Luckily she had some experience with first aid due to her time as a thief.

"Are you done yet?"

"If you want her to bleed to death then yeah. If not I suggest you sit down and be patient for once."

"Sorry." Fafnir sat back in his chair and waited for Emerald to finish.

"You really care about her don't you?"

"I told her I'd look after her in Torchwick's place. I'm not gonna break that promise."

Emerald grinned. "At least there's **some** of you still left in there." She murmured.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. You know if you keep playing favorites like this Cinder's gonna get jealous."

"It's not like that." Fafnir firmly denied. "Neo's like a little sister to me. Nobody takes Cinder's place."

"Nice save. There I'm all done."

Fafnir rushed to the bed, pushing Emerald out of the way in the process.

"Hey!"

"Neo? Neo?!" Fafnir called her name but she wouldn't wake up. "I thought you fixed her!"

"Calm down. She's just resting. She lost a lot of blood, but she should be fine in a couple of days."

"Thanks, Emerald."

"Don't thank me. Thank Cinder. I only did this because she asked me to."

"Well thanks anyway, and tell Cinder I'm sorry about earlier. I'll make it up to her later."

"What am I a messenger?" Emerald snarked.

"I'll owe you one."

"Fine. I'll do it, but don't try and worm your way out of this, Dragion."

"I won't."

"Then I'll be leaving." Emerald started to walk out of the room when she remembered something. "I almost forgot to ask. Do you remember anything?"

There was a heavy silence between them that was filled with the beeps of the machine Neopolitan was hooked up to. After what felt like forever, Fafnir answered.

"Remember what?"

"Never mind. It's not important. I'll see you around." She waved on her way out the door. When she stepped out into the hall she was met by Mercury.

"What's going on in there?"

"Cinder asked me to check on him." She pointed her thumb at Fafnir.

"Really? I didn't hear that."

"Why would you?" She proceeded down the hall, leaving a confused Mercury in her wake.

"What was that about?"

* * *

Qrow opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, the light flooding into the room stinging his eyes.

"I've woken up in worse places." he groaned.

"Uncle Qrow! You're awake?!"

Before Qrow could get his bearings Ruby sprinted from the desk she was sitting at and ran to his bedside. Her eyes filled with tears as she hugged him tight.

"I was so worried about you!"

"Ow. Ow. Ok I get it. Sorry for worrying you." He tried to laugh, but he was still weak from the poison and Ruby's death grip. He looked out of the window and saw people walking through the streets. "Where are we?"

"Mistral." Ruby explained. "A ship found us in Kuroyuri and brought us here. Remember?"

"A little. My head's still spinning."

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I just went ten rounds with a King Taijitu, but it's better than being dead. Where are the others?"

"In the next room. What happened in Kuroyuri? Who was that Tyrian guy? Why was he after me? Why was Natsu with him? How is he alive? Why didn't he recognize us?!"

"Whoa. Whoa. Just calm down." Qrow said. "Get the others and I'll tell you everything."

Ruby did as she was told and called Team JNPR into the room. The group gathered around Qrow's bed.

"Everybody here? Good."

Jaune raised his hand. "What's this about?"

"You'll see in a moment. I'm going to tell you kids something that is meant to be kept the utmost secret, but before I start I need to know if this is alright with **you**."

Qrow looked to Pyrrha. The redhead gave him a solemn nod.

"Yes. They deserve to know."

"Alright then. We'll begin with a simple question: what's your favorite fairy tale?"

With that question asked, Qrow proceeded to tell the teens about the history of the Maidens. Everyone sat on the edge of their seat as he spoke, their minds continously blown by the secrets hidden within their own world. The only one unaffected was Pyrrha. She had heard of this before the fall, but even still a small part of her found it hard to believe, even after all that had seen and experienced.

When he finally finished Qrow looked around the room. "Questions?"

"Yeah, but…it's a lot to take in." His niece answered.

"I can understand that. Take your time."

The group thought for a moment about what to say. Ruby was the first to speak up.

"So the Maidens…right?"

"Yep."

"They're strong warriors who don't need dust to use magic?"

"That's about right, yeah."

"And there are four of them?" Nora inquired.

"Usually."

"And when one of them dies the power transfers to a female that they care about?" Ren followed up.

"The last person in their thoughts." Qrow corrected. "Very important detail. Points if it's someone we can trust. If not well…let's say we wouldn't want more problems than we already have. Their souls are…I guess you could say they're **combined**."

 _Combined._ Pyrrha meditated on the word. It was true that she felt a portion of Amber's spirit inside of her body when using her power, but she could also feel Cinder as well.

"The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. She'd had her powers for a while, but she was still somewhat inexperienced. Cinder Fall, her attacker, managed to get the jump on her and steal some of her power, but not all of it. We thought that if we didn't do something Cinder would get the rest of it."

"So you forced it on Pyrrha." Jaune accused.

"No. They didn't." The redhead denied. "I **chose** to accept the power."

"But why? They were just using you."

"I had to." Pyrrha stated. "It was...It was my duty." She looked away as if trying to discern if her words were true or not.

"So why was that Tyrian guy after me?" Ruby asked.

"I told you before that those silver eyes of yours are rare. Because of them you made some waves during the fall. Pissed off some pretty scary people. That's why I was watching over you, to make sure you were safe."

"Then why didn't you just tell us?" Ruby worried. "It would have been way easier than just-"

"We were bait." Jaune interjected.

"Well…" Qrow started. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"I don't understand. Ruby's being hunted. The schools are under attack. Natsu is alive. What is going on?!"

"Look, kid, just calm down. You're gonna open my wounds back up from all of this stress."

Jaune settled down, but his eyes were still narrowed at Qrow.

The wounded Huntsman sighed. "World's been around a long time, and with that time comes dozens of stories and hundreds of gods being created over the years, but if you let Ozpin tell it only two of them are the real deal. They were brothers. The older one, known as the God of Light, found joy in creating life, while the younger sibling, the God of Darkness, spent his time creating things to destroy life.

As expected of brothers they clashed on just **how** things should be done in the world. By day the older brother would create lakes, plants, and wild life while at night his brother would look at these creations with disgust and lay waste to them with fire, famine, drought, and whatever else he could, but it always returned the next morning. Eventually, the young brother created something that shared his desire for death and destruction."

"The Grimm." Ruby surmised.

"Right on the money, kid. Finally, the older brother could take no more and proposed that they make something that they could both be proud of. The younger brother agreed and man was created. A creature wielding the power to both create and destroy. It was also given knowledge to better know itself and the world around it, but most importantly it was given the power of choice. The ability to choose which path it would follow. Light or darkness."

"Where do **we** fit into all of this?" Ren inquired.

"That's where it gets interesting. The four powers: knowledge, power, destruction, and choice aren't just metaphors. They are in fact physical objects created by the Gods before they departed from the world. If someone were to gain all four, they could rule everything. Which is **exactly** what the enemy wants to happen.

While the academies were created to find and nurture the next generation of protectors, they serve another function as well; guarding the relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the relics as a fortress to make them not only easier to defend, but to see that they would always be guarded by trained warriors. The hope was that this would deter people from trying to steal them. Especially **her**."

"You mean Salem?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah." Qrow nodded. "We don't know much about her, but that's not important. The only thing you need to know is that she wants the relics and she's not going to stop until she gets them."

"If that's really the case, and what you say is true, then why didn't you tell anybody about it?" Jaune questioned.

"…The panic would have been too great." Pyrrha answered. "I asked the same question myself."

"She's right." Qrow added. "All of that chaos would have started another Great War, the only caveat being that now **you** would have to fight it."

Jaune backed down at that thought.

"I had the same concerns you all did, but Ozpin always shut me down. 'We mustn't cause a panic' he'd always say. Heard that so many times I thought I was going to go crazy. Salem's clever. She waits in the shadows, using others to do her bidding so when the blaming starts we can only look at each other. She's trying to divide humanity. Doing a damn good job too."

"Is she using Natsu as well?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes highlighting her anger.

"It's certainly possible. She knows how important he was to all of you. It was no accident that you saw him."

"Did you know he was alive?" Ruby asked.

"No. I heard rumors there was someone new out there causing trouble on her behalf, but I wouldn't guessed in a million years it was him. Usually the dead stay that way."

"How is he alive?" Ren inquired.

Qrow shrugged. "To be honest I don't know. My guess is Salem found some way to bring him back to life. For what purpose? I don't know."

"Poor Weiss." Ruby said guiltily. "She'll be devastated when she finds out." She looked to Qrow. "What do we do now?"

The elder Huntsman chuckled. "I don't know. After the attack on Beacon I'm pretty sure all the schools are on high alert. Ironwood definitely fortified Atlas' defenses and Vacuo…well it'll be a hard sell to get thieves and scoundrels to fight **other** thieves and scoundrels. So since we're already here, our best bet is Haven. I barely talked to the Headmaster even **before** the attack, but hopefully he'll be able to piece what's going on."

"What about Natsu?" Nora wondered.

"Not much we can do for him now. Chances are he went back to wherever Salem's held up. We have no idea where she is, and even if we did we're nowhere near ready to face her yet. We'll just have to wait and see if he shows up again."

No one liked that answer – especially Pyrrha and Ruby – but it was the only choice they had for now.

"Why couldn't you just tell us this before?" Ruby implored. "You could have travelled with us and explained all of this instead of keeping us in the dark. Why didn't you trust me?"

Qrow could feel the pain in his niece's eyes. "It wasn't about trust. I would have just been a liability if I got too close."

"What does that mean?" Ren asked.

"Crows. They're mostly a sign of bad luck. To most it's just silly superstition, but it's how I got my name." He grabbed his wound. It started to ache. "Some people can channel electricity, others burst into rose petals, and some can even control metal. Me? I was just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't something I can just turn off whenever I want. It's always on. Haunting me. I bring misfortune wherever I go. I guess the proper term would be a 'bad luck charm'. Not so bad when I'm fighting any enemy, but it's a different story around friends...and family."

He laid down in his bed and turned over. "Story time's over for now. I need to get some rest."

"You sure there isn't anything **else** you need to tell us?" Ruby prompted.

Qrow watched as a red-eyed Raven landed on the windowsill outside.

"Not now." Qrow drifted off to sleep.

"So what do we do?" Nora asked.

"We should get some rest as well." Ren suggested.

"Yeah." Jaune followed the pair out of the room. "You coming, Pyrrha?"

"You all go on ahead." She smiled. "I need to get some air."

"Alright."

Pyrrha left Ruby and Qrow's room and headed for the roof of the inn. She stared out past the city and to the mountains in the horizon, the wind blowing through her hair. She unwrapped Natsu's scarf from around her waist and held it close.

"Pyrrha?"

The melancholic warrior was soon joined by Ruby.

"Hello, Ruby." She said, wiping away the tears in the corners of her eyes. "Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to check on you. How are you holding up?"

"I could be better, but I will find a way to manage. This is all so overwhelming."

"Yeah. I know how you feel."

"What did you think of your Uncle's stories?"

"Honestly, I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it all. Gods. Maidens. Relics. None of it really makes any sense."

"I agree. It is a lot of information to accept blindly."

"But I do know one thing."

"What?"

"Natsu is alive, and he's in trouble." Ruby stated. "I don't know what Cinder or Salem or whoever did to him, but we're gonna get him back. Aren't we?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "Yes. We are. Thank you, Ruby."

"You can count us in too."

The rest of Team JNPR appeared on the roof, surprising the pair.

"How long have you all been there?" Pyrrha asked.

"We followed Ruby." Nora smiled.

"You didn't think you were gonna save Natsu without us did you?" Jaune asked with a confident grin.

"We're a team." Ren reminded with a grin of his own.

Pyrrha wiped a tear from her eye. "Yes. Thank you all so much."

As the group shared their first laugh in a long while, Raven watched them from a distance.

 _Perhaps they are the key to his salvation after all._

She cut open a portal and disappeared.

* * *

Yang leaned against the outside cabins as the ship sailed onward. After some soul-searching and a talk with her father, she ultimately decided to finally leave home and find Ruby.

It didn't take much convincing. Though she was ultimately unsure about her abilities, she confident enough to test them out in this dangerous new world. Armed with her freshly painted prosthetic and her trusty motorcycle she set out for Mistral with three things in hand: her boat ticket, a picture of Team STRQ given to her by her father, and the latest of Ruby's letters. Realizing she has some time to kill, she decided to give it a read.

 **Hey Sis,**

 **I hope my letters have been reaching you and Dad. It's kind of hard to rely on this stuff nowadays, not that it was ever dependable in the first place but you get what I'm trying to say. If you haven't been getting them, I just wanted to apologize for just up and leaving the way I did. You told me that it was reckless, and after everything that's happened since I've left I can say that I agree. It's been really hard, for all of us, and not just because of the monsters we fought along the way.**

 **Every step forward dragged us further away from what we knew. And every morning we wondered if what lie over the next hill was something good, or something terrible. It's scary not knowing what would happen next, but knowing what we know now almost makes it all worse.**

 **You told me bad things just happen sometimes. You were angry and hurt when you said it so I didn't want to listen, but again you were right. That's why I'm out here, doing whatever I can wherever I can in the hopes that I can really do some good in the world.**

 **All of us lost something, and that loss can do terrible things to people. We'd never see the beautiful things the future might have in store for us. We wouldn't have the strength to change; not ourselves nor the world around us. And we'd never be there for the people who would one day be lost without us.**

 **That's why we trained to become Huntresses, Yang. So we could be the ones to stand up and challenge all the bad things in the world.**

 **There are plenty of people out there who are still lost, some we used to call friend, and even more who will try to gain everything they can from that sorrow.**

 **Believe me, Sis, I know it can feel impossible at times. There will be times where every day feels like a struggle against some unstoppable monster that we could never beat, but we have to try. If not for us then for the people we haven't lost yet.**

 **I miss you so much. Weiss and Blake too. I think you'd be proud of me. We all made it Mistral. We even ran into Uncle Qrow on the way, but he's not the only one…**

Yang raised a brow. "What's this?" For some reason the letter cut off in the middle of the sentence. She unfolded the paper the bottom third of the paper, seeing the rest of the sentence further down the page. The words she read next shook her to her core.

 **Natsu is alive.**

Yang's spine shivered. "What?" she gasped. The letter continued.

 **I don't know how it's possible, but it's true. I saw him. We all did. He was right in front of me. I was so happy to see him I almost cried. It was like what happened at Beacon was just some nightmare that I finally woke up from, but I soon realized that some things you can't escape. Whoever this person was, he wasn't the Natsu we knew. Something is different about him. Something wrong.**

 **He was a completely different person. He was violent and angry. He attacked us without restraint. He didn't recognize us at all, or even his own name. It was like someone erased everything that made him Natsu and replaced it with something dark and evil.**

 **I don't why it happened, but I'm not going to let it continue. I'm going to find a way to save him, and I want you guys to be there with me when I do. Our friend is lost and we need to bring him back.**

 **The first thing we're going to do is visit Professor Lionheart at Haven Academy. Uncle Qrow told us some things that I think you want to hear, things I can't put in this letter. Hopefully, you'll decide to join us and he can tell you himself. I know you need time for yourself before you come find me, but it would great if Team RWBY was able to get together again.**

 **I'll leave the address to the inn were staying at in Mistral so you can find us if you decide to come. I hope to hear back from you and Dad. I'll be sure to tell all about what's going to happen next. Now that we're here, I really think things will start to turn around for us.**

As soon as the ship reached the dock, Yang zoomed off on Bumblebee.

 _He can't be alive! It's impossible! People just don't come back to life!_

She raced through the dead woods, taking a sharp right at the fork that would put her on the path to Mistral.

* * *

In an autumn colored office, a large mahogany desk sat in the middle, facing a circular bookshelf with a ladder against it. As the sun set in the distance, a silver tea set was placed on a table in the corner that was set up for guests.

In one of the chairs sat Arthur Watts. He delicately held one of the filled cups of tea, his feet propped up on the table as he took a sip.

"Thank you, Professor. My mistress always spoke highly of your hospitality."

* * *

The echoes of battle once again emanated from Salem's inner chamber. Cinder stood tall, having defeated the three Beowolves before her with relative ease. Control was starting to become natural to her.

She snapped her fingers, signaling Emerald – who was watching the scene along with Mercury – to step forward. The thief concentrated her Semblance, creating hallucinations of both Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos.

The two were on their knees, their bodies bloodied and their eyes begging for mercy as they reached out to Cinder.

Her anger rising at the sight of the one who disfigured and the one who stole the other half of her power, Cinder blasted the hallucinations with a wild stream of flames, her eye glowing with her Maiden's power.

Salem watched the display with a pleased grin.

In the lab, Fafnir rested next to Neopolitan's bedside. It had been a couple of days since he returned, and Neopolitan still had yet to wake up. Luckily her condition hadn't worsened thanks to Emerald checking on her.

 _Natsu!_

The voice was followed by images of a battle between himself, Cinder, and Pyrrha Nikos, but something was off. For some reason he and Nikos were battling **against** Cinder. It was losing battle culminating by Cinder's arrow piercing his chest and killing him. As Fafnir felt the life drain from his body, he was suddenly back in time a few days before the fight.

He and Pyrrha Nikos were speaking in the middle of Vale before the Fall of Beacon. Another jump back and he was fighting alongside a black-haired girl and a monkey faunus against Roman Torchwick and a group of White Fang soldiers. He went even further back.

Every jump in time put him face to face with different people. He defended Velvet Scarlatina from bullies. He battled Lie Ren in an auditorium while spectators watched. He arm wrestled a girl with long blonde hair. He battled Qrow Branwen in the Beacon courtyard. He helped Ruby Rose stop a robbery. He saved a young Weiss Schnee from a Grimm when he was but a child. He travelled across the land with the masked woman from his dreams. He saw himself falling from the sky like a star.

The final thing he saw was a young man with black hair smiling at him from the other side of a pod.

"Hello, Natsu." He said.

Emerald's question returned to his ear.

 _Do you remember anything?_

Natsu Dragneel awoke with a sharp gasp. His heart racing and his body breaking out in a cold sweat, he frantically looked around the medical lab. Nothing was familiar.

"Where am I?!"

* * *

Qrow tipped back his fifth glass of whiskey. Even though it had only been a few days he felt as if it had been years since he'd had a nice stiff drink.

"That's the best recovery money can buy. Another."

"Don't you think you've had enough?" the bartender asked.

"I'll let you know when I stop seeing double." Qrow tapped on his empty glass, prompting the bartender to sigh in resignation.

"Coming right up, sir."

As the bartender left to make Qrow's sixth round, someone entered the bar.

"Excuse me?"

Qrow turned around on his stool. Before him was a boy around the same age as his niece wearing overalls, dirty boots, and work gloves. He looked like he had just stepped off a tractor from the nearest cornfield.

"I'm not sure this place serves minors, kid."

The boy's arm started to move, but he held it in place. "I know. I'm doing it alright?" he said to himself.

Qrow raised a brow at the boy. It was clear he was a little bit on the crazy side.

The boy looked to Qrow. "I'm supposed to tell you…that I would like my cane back?"

Qrow's eyes slowly started to widen. He then grinned at the boy.

"Nice to see you again, Oz."

Qrow reached inside his jacket and tossed the boy Ozpin's compact cane. Oscar pressed the button on the top and it extended to the ground. His surprise then gave way to a look of determination.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the world at large, there is a secret facility - a lab to be more precise - hidden deep underneath Atlas Academy. Only accessible to those with the highest of security clearances. In this lab the Atlas military's strongest – as well as most dangerous – weapons were created.

Men and women in white trench coats paced back and forth, eagerly - and in some cases frightfully - discussing and running experiments on various projects that they believed would lead to the safety of not only Atlas, but all of Remnant.

The elevator leading out of the lab opened and out stepped General Ironwood, prompting everyone to stop working and salute.

"At ease." He said. "Please. Return to your work."

The scientists did just that without a second thought. The General was soon greeted by the lead scientist, Professor Apricot.

"General Ironwood, we've been expecting you. Welcome."

"Thank you, Professor. I've come to check on **her**. Is she ready?"

"Yes sir. Please follow me."

Ironwood followed Professor Apricot through the lab, scanning over the other projects around the lab.

"How are things progressing on the blood sample I gave you?"

"Faster than estimated, but there are still some difficulties handling the sample."

"What kind of difficulties?"

"Cloning the material proved ineffective so we're thinking of alternative methods for its use. Currently experimentation entails using the blood as a supplement to enhance the efficiency of our ground forces."

"Interesting. How long until we have a working prototype?"

"I'd say two weeks at the most."

"You have eight days."

The Professor nearly fell over. "E-eight days? But, sir that's-"

"Is that a problem?" The general's hardened glare, evaporated all of Apricot's protests.

"N-no, sir. Eight days it is."

"Good. Now where is she?"

"Right this way."

Apricot lead Ironwood into a room sequestered off from the rest of the lab. In this empty space there was a pod with numerous tubes plugged into it. Floating inside the bright green liquid that filled the pod was a girl with long, dark orange hair and pale white skin.

"Her OS is operating smoothly." Apricot said. "All of her motor functions are in the green, and she's passed all of the simulation combat tests."

"What about the bugs? Have they been ironed out?"

"Yes, sir. We salvaged all of the pertinent data from the remains of her old memory system and destroyed the rest. There should be no more problems."

"And the Gepetto System?"

"Operational for one minute before a recharge is required."

"We must find a way to extended that."

"Of course, sir. We're already working on it."

Ironwood placed his hand on the pod. "Activate her, Professor. I think it's time we see how she performs in the field."

"Yes, sir." Apricot pressed a button on his tablet and the cooling tubes started pulling out of the pod. As cool air from the tubes flooded the room, the liquid in the pod started to drain. Once it was gone the wires holding the girl gently let her down on and started unwrapping.

Apricot pressed another button and the girl awakened. Her eyes glowing a bright green, she looked ahead and stepped out of the pod, stopping in front of General Ironwood.

"Good Morning, P2." he said.

The robot girl stood at attention and saluted. "Salutations, General Ironwood."

* * *

 **Here it is! The final chapter of Volume 4 of Misplaced! It took a while to get here, but we made it.**

 **I know this chapter was HUGE (I haven't done one this long in a while) but I felt it was necessary for the finale. I know a few of you wanted Natsu to instantly come back, but I felt that was more than a little cheesy. I had already planned this way in advance, so I really had no plans to make Natsu come back to his friends just yet. Don't worry it will come.**

 **Also there is something else I'd like to say: Thank you guys for over 1000 reviews! I honestly never thought this story would be that popular, and I have all of you to thank for that. Hopefully this story can continue to be successful. So to commemorate this occasion I'd like to ask something:**

 **What is your favorite thing about Misplaced? I mean a lot of you keep reading this for a reason so I just wanted to know what you like most about it.**

 **Is it the story? The characters? Do you have a favorite moment? I'd love to know if you're willing to share.**

 **Another thing. This story is going to go on hiatus for a little bit. I need to figure out more things going forward, so it will be a little before I come back to this. Most likely not until the middle of Volume 5 which starts in the fall so I probably won't post another chapter till near the end of the year...maybe.**

 **All that being said leave a comment/review letting me know what you think, thanks for 1000+ reviews, and as always thanks for reading! :)**


	50. Footprints in the Snow

Flakes of snow painted the night sky as they fell upon the courtyard of the Schnee estate. Beneath the cracked moon, Weiss Schnee – a newly created Myrtenaster in hand – prepared for battle.

She stepped away from the sculpture at the edge of the courtyard, and was quickly surrounded by a spiraling tornado of ice and snow. While in the center of this maelstrom, she was slowly circled by a trio of snow white Beowolves.

One burst out from the pack, it's sights set on the heiress. It received Weiss' rapier through the throat for it's trouble. In response the remaining two beasts attacked.

The next Beowolf's head was separated from it's body with a one delicate slash. Weiss launched herself into the air, propelling herself to the third creature with use of a glyph. Another glyph created launched her from the beowolf and back to the sculpture. Myrtenaster's dust cartridge turned to fire. With one fierce slash a wave of fire melted away the Beowolves and dissipated the whirlwind they emerged from.

She marvelled at her weapon. It was performing much better than she thought it would. Truly this was the best blade that money could buy. As she reveled in her victory more Beowolves appeared to face her.

Weiss took a breath and jumped back into the fray with renewed vigor. Her strikes measured and precise, the heiress danced along the battlefield, defeating one Beowolf after another with a combination of sword skills, glyphs, and ice.

She was winning, but she was also starting to get exhausted. Her strikes - while effective - were much too aggressive and exposed too many holes in her defenses. This caught up with her when three blasts of snow spelled her end. The first two simply knocked her off balance, but the third flung Myrtenaster from her grip.

When she went to retrieve her weapon, a Beowolf tackled her to the ground. As the heiress struggled under it's weight, more monsters started to circle around them.

Weiss' eyes went wide, her heart started to race, and her body started to shake. She could feel the monster's breath on her face as it snarled and snapped it's massive jaws at her. It took everything she had to keep the creature from snapping her neck in two, but it was a losing battle. Her strength was fading by the second.

She was trapped with no way to escape. It was over.

The other Beowolves swarmed, and Weiss cried out.

"Natsu!"

A flash of fire erased the monsters crowding her, as well as the fierce whirlwind that surrounded them. When the blaze died down, Weiss found herself being carried in her brother's arms.

He smiled at her. "That was close." He let her down as their elder sister approached.

Winter dropped Myrtenaster before Weiss, the point sticking into the stones of the courtyard. Her posture as perfect as ever, her eyes were narrowed as she looked down at her youngest sibling. With a resigned sigh she spoke.

"Natsu will not always be around to save you, Weiss."

The heiress looked down to her feet, unable to meet her sister's disappointed gaze. "I know. I'm sorry. I'll do better next time."

"Come on, Winter." Natsu said. "Do you have to be so tough on her? She tried really hard."

"Trying and doing are two very different things. If she wishes to leave here, she will have learn to stop trying and start doing."

Winter walked away. Leaving Weiss to lament over her failure. Natsu placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. When she looked to up him he smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

* * *

Weiss awoke with a start in the airship's cargo hold. She looked out of the window to the setting sun, soon she would be out of Atlas airspace and on the way to Mistral. She reflected on the words Natsu said to her shortly before she awoke.

 _Don't worry, Weiss. I'll always be here for you._

She took a breath and leaned against the window.

"Where are you, big brother?"

* * *

 **Just a little something here since the Weiss character short came out a couple of weeks ago. I have a couple other little shorts planned, so be on the look out for those.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	51. Regrets in the Rubble

"It's not possible."

She had been staring at the two way mirror for what felt like an eternity. Sitting inside the interrogation room of the Vale police department were two teens. A boy and a girl. The girl looked to be of middle school age. Her dark red hair and proficiency with a scythe were enough to give even the most hardened of warriors pause. Then there were those silver eyes of hers. She was the spitting image of Summer Rose.

Despite this discovery, it was young man seated to the right of her that stifled the breath of the bespectacled woman.

"He's alive?" she heard herself utter.

"He is." A man with smoke colored hair stood beside the shocked woman. From his even tone of voice, his composure was much steadier than hers. "Apparently Raven placed him in an orphanage in Atlas where he was then adopted by the Schnee family."

A single tear rolled down the woman's cheek. A smile then pulled at the corner of her mouth. He had grown so much since she last saw him. He was much taller and stronger, but she could tell from his conversations with the girl that he had not lost that childlike wonder she knew years ago.

"I'm not sure why he didn't recognize you when you saved him and Ms. Rose."

The woman wiped away her tear. "I'm not sure either, but it doesn't matter. I'm just…I'm happy that he was able to find a proper home and family."

"Are you sure you can do this? I won't blame you if choose to leave."

"No. I'm fine. I was simply nostalgic for a moment. They must realize the consequences of their actions."

The man smiled. "Understood. Then I will allow you to take the lead."

"Thank you, Professor Ozpin."

With that Glynda Goodwitch opened the door to the interrogation room.

* * *

After a hot shower Glynda sat on the edge of her bed and looked into the mirror. Her once beautiful features had all but slowly eroded away as the days passed. Bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, once silken and straight hair had now become frayed and dry, and her previously soft hands had become littered with callouses and marks. Truly she had seen better days.

The memories of the Fall lingered in her mind just as strongly now as they did months ago. Even if she wanted to forget what happened she couldn't.

It was possibly the greatest tragedy to happen in Remnant since the war, and the worst part was that it could have all been prevented. Had she been a little more diligent; had she paid just a little bit more attention to the odd phenomena happening at the school, then perhaps things would have gone differently. Maybe the school would still be standing. Maybe the city would still be inhabited.

Maybe Professor Ozpin would still be alive.

Glynda walked to her desk, which was located close to the window of her one bedroom apartment. As the broken moon's light filtered in through her curtains she opened the drawer that was suspended above the seat.

Rummaging through used pens, worn pencils, and papers filled with now useless information, she finally found what she was looking for beneath the clutter. A picture.

In front of the setting sun a younger, happier, Glynda Goodwitch sat on a bench with a small smile on her face as a boy with messy hair salmon-colored hair pressed his face close to the lens of the camera with widened eyes.

It was taken not long after Natsu arrived in her world. He had never seen a camera before – according to him they didn't exist where he came from – so Glynda proposed they take a picture together as a learning experience. After around an hour of trying to teach the boy how to use a photo booth, this was the best picture they could come up with.

Despite being mostly unsatisfied with the final result, Glynda kept the picture anyway as a memento at Natsu's behest. Once a precious memory, now a bittersweet reminder of her failure.

Amongst the entirety student body caught up in the attack, Natsu was the only casualty - aside from the android Penny Poledina. Soldiers died as well, but Glynda had long since made her peace with that. It was their duty to defend their country to the bitter end – as sad a fate that may be.

Natsu however was only a child. A young man still enjoying the prime of his youth. He did not deserve his fate, none of the students did. It simply was not fair. But was the world ever fair in the first place? The former professor didn't seem to think so.

She placed the picture back in the drawer and returned to bed.

Part of her knew it was futile to keep going. No matter how hard she and the other relief workers tried, nothing would stay in place for long. For every one stone set, two more would crumble to nothing. Glynda knew their efforts were ultimately in vain. The embodiment of insanity. Even if they somehow managed to bring the city back to what it once was visually, the scars underneath would linger for years to come.

Glynda knew it was a losing battle, but still she pressed on.

It was the only thing she knew how to do anymore. The only way she could atone for the ones she failed.

Placing her glasses on the nightstand she moved around under her blanket until she was comfortable and turned off the lamp.

Another long day of work was ahead of her.

* * *

 **Another mini-chapter! This one focusing on Glynda. I wanted to expand a little more on her and check on how the fall affected her. Just something quick and dirty.**

 **I'll probably do a couple more of these until V5 starts.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	52. Ghost in the Machine

The cold night air swept through the abandoned buildings and broken structures of Kuroyuri. A large group of Grimm aimlessly roamed about, having made the abandoned village their home after a fierce battle had lured them there over a week ago.

All of the combatants that participated in said battle had since left the village, but the negative energy generated was enough to keep the Grimm satisfied for the time being.

Above the clouds an Atlesian airbus observed the creatures.

"We have reached the drop zone. Sensors have detected twenty-nine Grimm in the village: Ten Beowolves, Five Beringels, Two Death Stalkers, One King Taijitu, Ten Boarbatusks, and an Ursa major."

"What of the Nuckelavee? Supposedly there was one in this area not too long ago."

"Our latest report said that it was taken care of by a group of Huntsmen."

"I see. Well no matter. Is she in position?"

"Yes, Ma'am. P2 is currently on standby in the cargo hold."

"Then we'll proceed as originally planned."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

The pilot pressed a button above their head and the bay door slowly opened. Inside a girl with long, orange hair and pale skin stood still as the rushing winds blew into the cargo hold.

"P2, We will now commence your combat field training." explained the ship's captain. "Your orders are to exterminate every Grimm in this town. Do you understand?"

The girl's dark green eyes flashed briefly in the shadows. "Mission acknowledged."

"Begin."

P2 took a step and dropped out of the airbus. Freefalling thousands of feet, she crashed in the center of Kuroyuri with a thunderous boom, shaking the entire village. The Grimm immediately took notice of her entrance, watching as she slowly rose from the crater she created.

"Even some of our strongest Paladins wouldn't have survived a fall from this high." One of the crewmen on the bridge marveled. "Just what is that thing made of?"

"I heard that the techs have been experimenting with some new sort of metal that is immune to magnets and stuff." Another answered.

"Pay attention." Their commanding officer scolded. "We are supposed to be observing her, not gossiping."

"Y-yes, Ma'am! Sorry, Ma'am!"

P2 analyzed every Grimm before her, her sensors keying on their weak points. Her database had knowledge of every Grimm known to man. It would not take long for her to clear the field.

"Beginning extermination."

The Beowolves were the first the charge. P2 broke through the hole in their formation in a split second. One by one she struck them with nothing but her bare hands. Each hit placed either on the neck or rib cage of the beasts. Within seconds the creatures fell. Their bodies' disintegrating to nothing.

The pilots on the air bus were amazed. Their commander kept her eyes focused on the screen. Her eyes were linked to their screens, they say everything she did as well as her levels. Her Aura was still at full capacity.

The android rushed down the rest of the monsters, her fist colliding with the hardened chest of the first Beringel she saw. It had no effect.

The beast swatted her like a fly. Sending P2 flying through one of the collapsed homes.

"Ow. That's gotta hurt." One of the pilots winced.

P2 emerged from the rubble unscathed, though her uniform was no longer up to code. Her coat falling to the ground, she watched the Beringels, Boarbatusks, and Ursa Major quickly advance on her.

"Reassessing threat level."

She evaded a Beringel's punch. While in the air a pair of swords materialized behind her. They slashed cleanly down the middle of the Beringel that attacked her, its blackened blood gushing into the air as it faded away.

The pilots watched in complete shock as the android made quick work of the remaining Grimm. What was once twenty-nine became nineteen. Then fourteen. Then twelve. Within a few minutes, there were only three Grimm left: Two Death Stalkers, and One King Taijitu.

"All parameters are in the green." informed the pilot. "Aura levels currently at ninety-five percent."

"Good. P2."

"Yes, Captain?" answered the android.

"You have permission to activate the Geppetto System."

"Understood."

P2's eyes shifted from green to red. On her visual display the words "GEPPETTO SYSTEM ONLINE" appeared, followed by a timer that counted down from thirty seconds.

Her body vibrated and within an instant she was behind one of the Death Stalkers. She grabbed its tail and lifted from the ground with little effort, crushing the Ursa Major.

She ripped the golden stinger from the first Death Stalker before it disappeared fully and used to impale the second through it's head.

Just as she turned to face the final Grimm it swallowed her whole. The snake rose the upper half of its body, jerking violently as its body was assaulted from the inside. It split open, its blood spilling out as P2 emerged from its decaying corpse.

"Amazing." Uttered one of the pilots.

Suddenly the alarm sensors started blaring.

"What is it!" demanded the captain.

"Incoming Nevermore! It's heading straight for the ship! Should I prepare the cannons?!"

"No." The captain looked to the screen. The Gepetto system currently had fifteen seconds left. "P2. Intercept."

"Understood."

P2 watched the Nevermore soared over her head as it zoomed towards the airbus. Summoning more swords, they closed in forming what appeared to be metal wings. Foot thrusters propelled the android into the air. She soared past the Nevermore to get its attention.

The monster screeched and chased after its new target.

 **Warning! System Shut Down in Twelve Seconds!**

P2 detached her sword wings. and began to fall.

 **TEN SECONDS**

Wires slid from out of her fingers, latching onto each of her swords' hilts.

 **EIGHT SECONDS**

With a whip of her hand the swords stuck into the underside of the Nevermore.

 **SEVEN SECONDS**

The creature cried in pain as P2's swords burrowed further into its body.

 **FIVE SECONDS**

P2 pulled herself onto the Nevermore's back, using the swords a means to control its now eractic flight path.

 **FOUR SECONDS**

The Nevermore was on a collision course with the ship. The crew braced for impact. P2 yanked the wires upwards, forcing the beast to loop backward and avoid hitting the airbus.

 **System Shut Down in Three Seconds**

While suspended upside down, P2 once again yanked on the wires. This time her swords ripping through the Nevermore and killing it.

 **System Shut Down in Two Seconds**

P2's wings returned, guiding her safely to the ground.

 **System Shutting Down**

P2's eyes faded to black, her shoulders drooped, and her head bent forward. As she stood motionless the air bus landed. Its bay door opening, two soldiers ran down with a hand truck. They were joined by a young girl with a gold marking on her forehead and long black hair tied up beneath a white military beret.

"Take it to the medical bay to recharge."

"Yes, Ma'am." The men loaded P2 on the hand truck and returned to the ship.

"2nd Lieutenant Soleil."

The girl turned to the bay door, saluting as Winter Schnee descended the ramp.

"Captain Schnee."

"How would you judge P2's performance?"

Ciel looked down at her tablet at the levels as it replayed the battle footage. Her Aura before shutdown was at eighty percent. "Satisfactory. The machine performed within the recommended guidelines. It was just as General Ironwood said."

"Was it?"

Ciel was confused by Winter's reaction. "Ma'am?"

"There were multiple holes in her defenses. As well as numerous failures in logical problem solving. There were at least three different ways she could have disposed of the Nevermore before it came close to the ship. Her sword skills could use work as well."

"But, Ma'am, the battle data-"

"I'm not dismissing the data. I am simply saying that there is more to combat in the field than numbers and algorithms. There are things that only experience can teach you. You'll learn in time." Winter started for the ship. "Come along. We'll report the battle data to the General once we reach the next outpost."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Ciel followed Winter into the ship as the door closed. It then took off into the night sky.

* * *

 **New chapter! I've just decided to call this series "Volume 4.5" until Volume 5 officially kicks up. I plan to do about 3-4 more of these (not counting the character shorts that RT is already doing for V5) so hopefully you like them.**

 **As you can see P2 has already begun her work in the field and has been assigned to Winter's unit. I brought back Ciel as well and I plan to do a few things about her once V5 gets properly rolling so I hope you'll enjoy that as well.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	53. Truth in the Darkness

Pain. Rage. Fear. Hate. War. Death.

These are the six truths of this world. I know, for I have experienced them all within my short life.

Pain was immediate the very day that I was born. Birthed into a country that was more interested in fighting than bettering themselves, born to a pair of criminals who satisfied their lust for flesh and power more than the desires of their only daughter. Perhaps that was the one thing that they ever managed to teach me. Power is the only absolute in this world.

Rage was born when my parents abandoned me. Trading me away for a meaningless amount of dust that a beggar would turn away. I haven't seen them since. I assume they are dead. Some nights I smile when I dream that they are.

Hate and Fear go hand in hand. They are practically soaked into the very core of Mistral. In fact you can feel them permeating throughout Remnant. Liars. Thieves. Killers. Beggars. Cowards. Weaklings. Each one more detestable than the last. All hate and fear the other in a never ending cycle. It is not entirely their fault however. They are simply human. At least that is what my Master told me.

"All humans are flawed." she would say.

"An experiment proposed by bored gods to test the potential of the world they had also created. Which will happen? Will Man destroy Nature? Will Nature rid itself of Man? Or would man simply destroy themselves? The answer gets closer by the day."

As always she was right. I am flawed as well.

War is as simple as breathing. A misinterpreted message here; a stray shot there; and humans will turn on each other faster than you can blink. But one must not enter war carelessly. Gather allies, preferably ones easy to manipulate, and make them believe that your wants are their own. Convince them that sacrificing themselves for your cause is something noble and right. Dissension is the enemy. Only unity can truly change the world.

Next you must amass power. Without it your enemies will crush your ambition with a wave of their hand. Being weak is a sin. It is disgusting. Strength is the path to true beauty. However not all those with strength are worthy of it.

Maidens. Arrogant beings who do nothing but watch the world burn. Why are they given such power if they are unwilling to do what is necessary to end the world's suffering? Amber was the first to Fall, but she shall not be the last.

The final truth is always death. Those that emerge into the light must one day return home to the darkness. That is simply the cycle of life. We all feel it shadowing us, the cold presence of the reaper. Each day it gets a little closer. Awaiting the day it can finally whisk us away to our final rest.

I am no exception.

My life ended at the top of Beacon Tower as the world fell around me in a beautiful symphony of war and death. But it was not from the burning light summoned forth from silver eyes.

No, my end came as a lotus flower wilted.

A beautiful flame. Snuffed out due to the carelessness of man. It's beauty forever marred by a moment's weakness. As I watched the last petal fall the six truths came together and tugged at my being in various directions.

My heart was in Pain.

Rage colored my vison.

My Hate for the Centurion that coveted my flower was unending.

The Fear that the flames would never dance again shook my soul.

War was the only recourse.

The Death of the Centurion and the Silver-Eyed Rose were the only things I wished for.

My scars are constant reminders of my failure. My silence a consequence of my hubris.

My life ended on that tower, but my master saw fit to show mercy. It is rare that she does so, but she too saw the beauty in my flower. Perhaps she knew of it even before I did.

I thought of the path I walked. Pain. Rage. Hate. Fear. War. Death. The six truths opened to a seventh that I was never shown before. It emerged the moment I touched the fire and felt its warmth. My ambition grew. The hole in my heart filled with passionate flames and burning desire I had never felt before.

The lotus blooms once more and I finally grasp the final truth that had evaded me for so long.

The Fall Maiden's power - my birthright - blazes within my soul and it tells me to kill all those that tried to take my lotus from me.

My name is Cinder Fall.

And my love will be the end of this world.

* * *

 **New chapter! Well this was different wasn't it? I wasn't sure what to do with Cinder, so I decided to try an peek into her head a bit and see how she thinks (as far as this interpretation of her goes). I've only written a handful things in 1st person pov so forgive me if its a little sloppy.**

 **I've been working a lot lately believe it or not. between this, Dungeons & Dragon (my FTxDanMachi crossover fic you should definitely check out), A Different Tail (My FT AU you should also read), 7 Years & Counting, and Everyday with a Dragon Slayer (FTxMonMusu crossover that should check out too. Ok advertisement over) I've been running around creating story lines, character histories, and all kinds of stuff to bring you guys the best stories I possibly can. Hopefully I'm doing a good job. With all that being said I think its time for a good old-fashioned poll. I've been seeing your reviews and it's clear that you guys have some ideas for these "Vol. 4.5" Chapters so lets put it to a vote. **

**Who do you want spolighted on the next chapter? Velvet & Team CFVY? Neopolitan? or Blake? I will post the poll on my profile tonight and leave it up until the 17th of October. That's two weeks to get your votes in. The results will be revealed in the next chapter in descending order. Whoever gets the most votes will go first, followed by the second highest, and the final selection. So vote wisely.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	54. Memories in the Night

Vale was surprisingly cool in the summer. At least that was the case at night. Of course it wasn't nearly as cold as the snow-capped lands of Solitas, but it was still enough to make Blake Belladonna hug herself for warmth.

Near the Forever Fall forest lied a building that the White Fang were using as a temporary base of operations while in the country. For many it was their first time in Vale – most of them having been recruited from Menagerie and Vacuo – but for Blake it was a place she hoped to never return to. There were too many bodies buried here.

She stood outside the door leading to the roof, waiting for Adam to finish gathering the final details of their next mission. Briefings were nothing new, but for the past few months Blake wasn't allowed to be a part of them. Normally she was right by Adam's side, but now their missions were told to her only hours before they happened.

Blake was starting to worry. Before Adam would have them commit crimes, yes, but they were to benefit their people. Stealing medicine to help ailing Faunus villages, intimidating business owners to treat faunus employees with respect, and conducting unlawful assemblies to raise the spirits of others. However things had become vastly different: stealing dust from stores like petty thugs, secret meetings with shady individuals, bullying innocent people to push their own agendas. They were becoming no better than the humans they swore to stand against.

Even so Blake remained. While not always agreeing with Adam's methods, she genuinely believed that his way would result in a better world for all Faunus...at least she hoped it would. Otherwise she abandoned her parents, her home for nothing.

As she stared at the stars she heard the door open. A girl her age with long crimson hair tied in a braid, and what looked to be spots on her sun-kissed skin smiled at her. If Blake remembered right her name was Ilia Amitola. She sat a few centimeters away from Blake.

"Mind some company?"

"N-no. Not at all."

Ilia had been a part of their group for a few months, but Blake never really had the opportunity to have a long conversation with her due to all of the operations that had been going on. With nothing but time on her hands, she thought now was as good an opportunity as any to learn more about her comrade.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why did you join the White Fang?"

Ilia sensed the uneasiness in Blake's question and took a moment answer.

"Same reason you joined I imagine."

"But-"

"Why do I fight when I can pass for a human?"

She already knew what Blake's true question was, but she didn't seem phased by it. She had been asked that very questions many times during her short time in the organization. When she saw the apologetic expression on Blake's face she smiled.

"It's ok. You're not the first person to ask me that. You probably won't be the last either." She looked out to the horizon. The red canopies of the trees spread out across the land like wildfire.

"I was pretty much raised like an average human girl. My parents and I lived in Mantle, where they worked in the mines with the other Faunus there. At first i thought I would follow in their footsteps, just another animal working themselves to an early grave, but my parents wanted much better for me; and somehow I was enrolled into an Atlas Prep School. Can you imagine?" Ilia smiled ruefully.

"A poor young Faunus girl getting an education among Remnant's elite? It was like something out of a storybook. But reality always finds a way to pull you back in. There were rules I had to follow: no sleepovers, no talking about my parents, and most importantly I was forbidden to **ever** change colors under **any** circumstances. No one could know I was a Faunus."

"That must have been hard." Blake sympathized. She could only imagine how hard it must have been to hide who you truly are. To her surprise, Ilia kept smiling.

"Actually, it wasn't that bad. Sure it was a bit of an adjustment at first but, I eventually got the hang of it. I even managed to make friends after a while, but that didn't mean that it was all rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes the other girls would make comments about Faunus. Typical things like: 'they're animals', 'they're filthy' or, 'they're liars'. I kept my emotions in check, but you know what the worst part was? Sometimes I would join them. I guess…deep down I thought I was **one** of them; at least I wanted to be. Then the mines caved in."

Blake's eyes widened. She remembered hearing about the disaster while she was still in Menagerie. According to the news reports an accidental dust explosion set off a chain reaction that caved in the mine. Hundreds of Faunus died that day.

"I was in school when it happened. I was devestated, but," Illia continued, her smile slowly fading into an bitter scowl. "My 'friends'…laughed. I couldn't control it anymore. My entire body turned blue as I cried. Suddenly the girls that I had laughed and played with were afraid of me."

"I'm so sorry."

"Oh no. Don't worry." Ilia stood up her body turning red, while her spots and hair turned yellow. "I broke their teeth."

Blake could see the anger in Ilia's eyes. In a way they matched her own. If her hatred of humanity wasn't clear before, it was after hearing her story. Blake understood why Ilia had chosen the path she did. If she had gone through the same thing she would more than likely feel the same way after all was said and, but now she had her doubts.

A boy with messy pink hair and a bright smile was present in her mind. He'd died years ago, in fact he had died in this very country, but for some reason Blake couldn't help but think of him in this moment. Why now? Blake had experienced many situations similar to Ilia's when she would protest, but for some reason her encounter with this boy put her heart in a state of confusion the moment she returned to Vale.

"…Are humans really that bad?"

"What?"

Blake realized Ilia had heard her mutterings and quickly backpedaled.

"N-nothing. I was just talking about the sky."

Ilia looked to the moon. "It is beautiful isn't it?"

"…Yeah."

"My turn."

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me why you joined the White Fang. I think it's only fair since I aired out my dirty laundry."

"Right." Blake took a moment to think. "I guess...I was tired of being pushed around. Faunus are only trying to live our lives as best we can, but no matter where we go we're met with distrust and hate. It's..."

"Infuriating?"

"Yeah. I mean what have we done to deserve this kind of treatment?"

"You grew up on Menagerie right? I heard that place is a paradise for our kind."

Blake scoffed at this. "Paradise is just another word for prison. They keep us on an island too small to thrive on and expect us to just deal with it. Honestly its more of an insult than anything else."

Ilia grinned. "Sounds like you hate humans more than I do."

Blake paused. Once again the boy with pink hair appeared.

 _"Why do humans and Faunus hate each other so much?"_ he asked her.

"I don't hate humans." Blake said.

"Then what do you think of them?"

A shooting star passed over them and Blake remembered a wish, as well as promise, made on a roof similar to this one.

 _"_ _I wish that one day humans and Faunus will get along like we do."_ The pink haired boy said. _"I also wish that Kitty and I will be friends forever."_ He looked over to her and held out his pinky. _"Right?"_

Blake smiled warmly, wrapping her pinky around his.

 _"Yes. We'll always be friends."_

The boy smiled wide. _"Then it's a promise."_

As the star fell out of view, Blake answered Ilia.

"I don't really know what to think anymore."

* * *

Blake and Sun carefully moved through Menagerie's marketplace. After exhaustively searching for a lead on the White Fang's next objective for the last few days, they finally caught a break when Blake's father informed them an exchange happening in the marketplace.

Their target was a man named Copper Sidana. According to Ghira he was nothing more than a low level assassin for the White Fang, but the Intel he possessed was crucial to figuring out the group's next move.

When she and Sun split up, Blake took a moment to admire the flowers being sold at one of the stalls. The beautiful array of colors served to settle the tumultuous mix of emotions in her heart. Despite her impassioned speech about stopping the White Fang to her family and friends, she was still unsure of how she was going to do it.

Finding Adam's whereabouts was the first step to be sure, but what would she do when she found him?

Battle was of course the first – and possibly only – option when they met again, but was she ready to face him? If anyone asked her directly she would tell them yes, but the memories of what her former lover did to Natsu and Yang still kept her up at night. She couldn't allow him to take away anyone else, but was she strong enough to back up that claim?

A cold breeze blew through the market, bringing Blake back to the task at hand.

"Hey."

Sun placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, pointing her attention to a man purchasing a knife at one of the stalls further ahead of them.

Blake searched her scroll for the picture her father had given her of Copper. Sure enough the image matched the customer at the stall. The pair nodded at one another and cautiously proceeded forward.

After Copper paid for the knife he noticed Blake and Sun closing in on him, the former motioning to her weapon. He grabbed the revolver in his belt and fired into the crowd. Sun ducked his head as the bullets bounced off of Gambol Shroud's sheath. Copper ran into the frightened masses, Blake and Sun giving chase.

The assassin fired at his pursuers as he ran, but soon found himself out of ammo. Darting into a residential area, he used his newly purchased knife to loosen a cart of luggage from a parked car.

Sun leapt over Blake and used his Semblance to slow the rolling of the cart.

"Go!"

Blake used Gambol Shroud to swing through the street, propelling herself into the back alley Copper had turned into. Just as he was about to be out of reach, a rainbow streak cut him off at the next turn.

"Hold it right there!"

Neon Katt smiled wide as she stood in Copper's path.

"Now are you going to be a good boy and come with us? Or are you going to make us do this the hard way?"

Copper prepared his knife and charged Neon. Blake tripped him with her weapon he could attack. She started to pull him back when her ribbon was suddenly cut.

Ilia fell from the sky, landing between Blake and Copper. She removed her mask, her eyes narrowed at her former friend. She pointed her weapon at Blake in an attempt to scare her off, but when the girl showed no fear Ilia hesitated. She fired at a pulley supporting construction materials.

"Blake!"

Neon ignored Copper and raced to Blake, tackling her out of the way of the falling debris.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Neon."

When the dust from the commotion settled, Ilia and Copper had escaped; the former taking to the rooftops of the nearby buildings.

"I'm sorry." Neon apologized. "I should have been paying more attention."

"Don't worry about it. Ilia can camouflage herself. You probably wouldn't have seen her even if you were looking."

"What do we do now?"

"We find another lead."

"Hey! What happened?! You two ok?!" Sun ran into the alleyway after hearing the crash. "Where's that informant guy?"

"He got away." Blake answered quickly. "Sorry."

She walked away.

"Blake…" Neon muttered.

Ilia watched the group a little longer before rendezvousing with Copper.

* * *

 **New Chapter!**

 **First of all thanks to all of you that voted in the character spotlight poll. I had a good enough idea about who was going to win based off of reviews, but it was still cool to see how things turned out. I might do another one in the future.**

 **It was dead even for a while. Blake and Neopolitan were tied with 14 votes apiece until the last day when Blake pulled ahead by two.**

 **The final poll results were:**

 **Blake Belldonna: 16 Votes**

 **Neopolitan: 14 Votes**

 **Velvet Scalatina & Team CFVY: 7 Votes.**

 **As per the conditions of the poll, this has decided the order of the next couple of chapters. Neopolitan's I hope to have up and edited in the next couple of days (I have about 80-90% of it done) and I'll start on Team CFVY's soon after (have a couple of surprises in store for that one so be on the look out for those).**

 **Next, Volume 5 of RWBY has officially started! I caught the special screening a couple of days before the episode dropped on the internet and it was a decent enough opener. I got some more context on things I will be adding for this story, most of them centering on the Spring Maiden. Hopefully you guys will like it, and if you want a sneak peak of what's coming check out the newest chapter of "Misinterpreted" where I posted a trailer of sorts. Let me know what you think.**

 **As always leave a comment/review. Thanks for reading! :)**


	55. Voices in the Silence

"Well what do we have here?"

A simple question, but one that would change a life forever.

A small girl, lost and abandoned by her family was discovered by a young man who had known nothing but failure. It was a chance meeting. One in a million. Perhaps that was why she was so immediately taken to him. Everyone else until this point had simply acted as if she didn't exist.

"So you gotta name, kid?"

She wanted to answer him, but couldn't. She never learned how. The most important rule of assassination was silence. Noise was the enemy. As such she was never taught to speak, only react. She understood words, but not enough to form them with her own voice. After a few moments of awkward silence the young man huffed in disappointment.

"Well this has been fun, but I gotta get going. Important things to do. See you around."

When he started to leave the girl's eyes widened. On instinct she reached out, grabbing onto the sleeve of his shirt.

"Get off of me."

He kicked her away, her body crashing into a group of trash cans in the alley. Passersby saw the scene, but chose to ignore it and kept about their business. She couldn't blame them, that's simply how things worked in Vacuo.

The man looked at his sleeve, now dirtied by the mute girl's grimy hands.

"Great. Do you know how much it cost to find good dry cleaning in this god forsaken country?! Huh?!"

The girl cowered. Covering her face with her hands in preparation for a beating.

"Answer me, you little-"

He reached to grab her, but the moment the tip of his finger touched her arm, her body shattered to pieces.

"What the hell?!"

The young man fell back in shock, his head hitting something against something solid. He looked up and saw the mute girl standing over him, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

"How did you-get away from me!"

He backed further into the alleyway, dropping his scroll in the process. The girl picked it up, typed something on the keyboard, and walked to him.

"You deaf?! I said stay the hell back!"

He raised his cane to her. A scope folded up and the bottom opened. It was some sort of gun.

The girl was unafraid. She had faced death many times before from much more capable individuals. If the man fired his weapon, she was already sure she could evade the blast in time.

His back hit the wall.

"This is the last time I'm going to warn you!" he shouted. "Back up or I'll shoot!"

The girl stopped and held up the scroll to him. Unsure of what to do, he read what was on the screen, but kept his weapon held high.

"N…Neopolitan? What's that?"

She typed another message.

 **My name.**

"Ok." He started to relax a bit. "What do you want? If you're looking for money I don't have any to spare."

 **Where are you going?**

"I'm taking the next airship to Vale. What's it to you?"

She typed a final message, handing the scroll back to it's owner. It read:

 **…Can I come with you?**

After a few moments to collect himself the young man fixed his clothes and grinned cockily as if he had been in control all along.

"Fine. I could use someone with your skills." he held out his hand. "Name's Roman Torchwick. Criminal extraordinaire. Nice to meet you, partner."

The girl shook his hand, a small smile carving on to her lips.

* * *

"And that, my dear Neopolitan, is how to run a successful business."

Roman Torchwick confidentially strolled into his "lair". In reality it was an abandoned warehouse on Vale's docks, but it was home nonetheless. He placed two duffle bags full of dust crystals onto his desk. Neopolitan did the same. They had just come from a…somewhat successful dust heist in the nearby city of Mirai. They originally had around ten bags full, but they encountered a group Huntsman on their way out of town. After a pretty harrowing battle, they only made it out with six bags.

Neopolitan was much less enthused than her partner about the job. They had made Vale their base nine months ago, and they had yet to make any significant heists. Sure they had successes here and there, but a bulk of their jobs ended in failure due to the intervention of Huntsmen and local authorities. If she was being honest, Neopolitan really had no interest in stealing things. She saw no real joy in it. What was the thrill of taking something as small as dust? It made you money, but there were other ways to acwuire that without handling explosive material. Killing on the other hand was thrilling. Watching the life fade from someone's eyes held within it a sick sort of pleasure that Neopolitan found herself attached to. Stealing was just something children did to get attention.

While her opinion on their crimes was fairly low, her thoughts for Roman were anything but. Sure he was loud, flashy, and just a little too cocky for his own good; but to Neopolitan he was her entire world. Before he came along she was clinging to life in that disgusting alleyway, not knowing where his next meal would come from. If he hadn't found her she would have been another victim of Vacuo's harsh "survival of the fittest" mentality. She owed Roman her life. To that end she would do anything he asked, even if it meant stealing dust.

She sent him a message on her scroll.

 **What do we do now?**

"Lay low until the next heist." he answered. "I think it's time we moved on to a much bigger target. Perhaps something in the city proper." Roman sat down and began drawing up plans. "Put those bags with the others, would ya? I got scheming to do."

Neopolitan rolled her eyes and grabbed two of the bags, walking to the storage container located in the corner in the warehouse. She hated lugging dust to the storage. This was grunt work. Too bad they didn't have enough money or clout to hire henchman to do menial tasks like this. In the eyes of the world Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan were small time crooks. Petty thugs nowhere near the level of criminal organizations such as the White Fang or the Branwen Tribe.

Neopolitan opened the container. To her shock it was completely empty. When she grabbed her scroll to tell Roman the news, she heard a crash, followed by a yell. Roman was in trouble!

Without a second thought Neopolitan ran back to his desk and saw that he was hurt, being held down by a teen with smoky hair. Their eyes met and the boy smiled, pressing his foot further down on Torchwick's chest. As she moved to cut down the intruder, she heard rattling. A chain wrapped itself around her neck, and she was flung into one of the empty shipping containers. She blacked out for a moment. When she came to a girl with cocoa skin and mint green hair was standing in front of her.

"If you want to keep breathing I suggest you stay down." she pushed her pistol closer to Neopolitan's face. "I really don't want to kill you if I don't have to."

Neopolitan looked into the girl's crimson eyes. She had killed before. From her grip on the pistol and her calm tone of voice she wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if need be.

It was a shame that her opponent didn't fear death.

Neopolitan moved for own her weapon. As she expected the girl pulled the trigger. The round pierced the mute's chest, shattering her like glass.

"What-?!"

Neopolitan appeared behind the girl in an instant, her blade poised to release her head from her body. Her sword passed through the intruder's neck as if it were air.

"You're not the only one who can cast illusions."

Shots fired from the upper rafters of the warehouse. Neopolitan darted behind the storage container, her shoulder being grazed in the process. Her enemy ran along the rafters, firing shot after shot to draw the mute out. Neopolitan leapt from behind her cover and sprinted through the warehouse, narrowly each shot aimed at her.

"Damn. She's fast."

Neopolitan launched herself from the container to the rafters.

"Bad move!"

The mint-haired teen pointed her pistols center of the girl's chest and fired. Neopolitan opened her umbrella, the rounds ricocheting in different directions.

"Just great."

Neopolitan landed in front of her, her eyes flashing bright in excitement as she grinned. A blade extended out from the point of her umbrella and she charged. One of the dark-skinned girl's pistols changed into a sickle.

"I knew I should have taken the guy with the hat."

Blade and gun clashed. With each swing Neopolitan avoided a bullet from the gun. She landed a kick square on the girl's neck, sending her falling back to the ground. The intruder's weapons changed in kusarigama. She used the chain to latch onto the railing and let herself down. As soon as she touched the ground Neopolitan's sword cut into her top. She kicked her away and resumed their battle on the floor.

The young man that had pinned down Roman found himself impressed by the fight.

"Wow. She's good. I've never seen anybody but Cinder give Emerald **this** much trouble."

"She's not the only one with tricks, punk."

Roman grabbed his cane and swept the boy's feet, allowing himself to stand.

"Looks like you wanna go to." The boy smirked.

Torchwick pointed Melodic Cudgel at him. "That's the idea."

Emerald ducked under the swipe of Neopolitan's sword and fired her pistols. Once again the mute's body shattered.

"Getting real tired of that."

Neopolitan kicked her into a stack of empty crates. She strolled over, placing the point of her umbrella against her neck.

Emerald grinned. "Looks like it's over….for you." She faded away and Neopolitan heard the cocking of a gun behind her. "It really is done this time. Your illusion trick isn't going to work. I've already figured you out. Now get on your knees before I blow your head off."

Neopolitan did as she was told, Emerald's pistol still pointed at the back of her head.

"You know you almost got me there." Neopolitan spoke. "Too bad."

"Wait. You can tal-"

An explosion blew Emerald back. She landed hard on her back, all of the air being driven out of her lungs. She tried to stand but was forced down by the end of a cane.

"Nuh uh uh. Be a good girl and stay down, yeah?" The image of Neopolitan faded away, revealing Roman Torchwick. "Surprise!"

"When did you-"

"Oh please you really think we'd lose to some amateurs like you? We noticed you two clowns the moment we got back to town. Isn't that right, Neo?"

Emerald saw the mute girl she thought she was fighting sitting on the back of her defeated partner. Neopolitan waved at her with a smile.

Torchwick stomped on Emerald's wounded arm, causing her to cry out in pain.

"I'm going to ask you once. What do you want and who do you work for?"

Before Emerald could answer a slow clap echoed from the shadows.

"That was quite impressive. You two are much more capable than I thought."

A young woman with long ashen hair stood in the rafters, her red and gold dress illuminated in the moon light.

Torchwick poainted his weapon at her. "Thank you. I aim to please. Now mind telling me who the hell you people are?"

"My name is Cinder Fall, and I assure you we meant no harm. I just want to talk."

"Could have fooled me, girly. If you wanted to talk why send the goon squad?"

"Simply a test of skill. We had to make sure you met the proper requirements. Surely you understand. I've come with a business proposal that I believe will be highly beneficial to both of us."

Torchwick loaded his gun. "Thanks for the offer, honey, but I've got all the help I need. Besides I don't take kindly to people breaking into my house." He fired.

Cinder's eyes flashed and a wave of fire spread throughout the warehouse, knocking away both Roman and Neopolitan.

"What the hell was that?!" Torchwick gasped, his body weak. "You alright, Neo?"

The mute nodded and they watched as Cinder floated to the ground.

"I apologize, but it really upsets me when people don't listen to what I have to say." She slowly approached the pair, the other two intruders standing at her side. "We've been watching the two of you for quite a while. So much potential, yet you waste it on petty dust heists. Don't you ever wish you could be something more? Something powerful?"

Neopolitan was frozen in place. She had never felt such power before. From that previous display alone she knew that this Cinder Fall could incinerate her and Roman on the spot if she wanted to.

"Save me the sales pitch, lady. If you're going to kill us just get it over with already."

Roman's normal bravado colored his response, but Neopolitan knew he was just as scared as she was. He was simply acting defiant to save face.

"On the contrary, Roman. The last thing I want to do is kill the both of you." She bent down, her hand caressing the side of his face. "Like I said. I have a business proposal that I think you will find most intriguing. One that will grant you everything you desire." Her eyes flashed like fire. "What do you say?"

Roman looked to Neopolitan. She nodded. He then turned to Cinder, an evil smirk painted on his face.

"I'm listening."

* * *

"Local authorities and Huntsmen are still on the hunt for the woman known as Neopolitan. A person of interest in what the media is calling the 'Fall of Beacon', news has recently surfaced that links her to the massacre outside the city of Vale. Sources tells us that she was being treated for an injury she received during the Fall when she suddenly when on a rampage, murdering everyone inside the clinic. She is armed and extremely dangerous, if you see her contact your local huntsman or police officer immediately, and please exercise extreme caution."

Alone.

That was the only word Neopolitan could use to describe her current state.

When she was jettisoned from the airship during the battle with Ruby Rose she landed in an open field, coming to a few days later in a small clinic outside of Vale.

The first thing she noticed was that her left leg was missing, having been amputated from the knee down. From what she could remember from the doctor, he said that her leg was so damaged from her fall that it would never fully recover. Amputation was the only option lest she succumb to an infection. Not that she cared.

Two weeks she spent wasting away in that hospital bed, refusing to eat or drink. The only thing she thought of was Roman. Where was he? When would he come and retrieve her? It was the only thing that kept her sane, that is until one news report changed everything.

The sights and smells were still vivid in her memory. It was a report on the Fall of Beacon. Neopolitan watched with vested interest, trying to see if there was something that would tell her the whereabouts of Roman. It didn't matter to her if she had one leg or zero, she would find a way to reach him, reunite with him if it was the last thing she did.

As she waited for anything to give her direction she heard the newscaster say:

 _"Among the dead was Roman Torchwick. Notorious criminal suspected of numerous dust heists in the last year. His body was found…"_

Everything became muted. The only thing she could hear was:

 _"Among the dead was Roman Torchwick"_

 _"Among dead Roman Torchwick."_

 _"Roman Torchwick dead."_

 _"Roman dead."_

 **DEAD**

The word repeated itself over and over. It was like the Gods above were playing the same sick record on repeat, and only she could hear its horrible sound.

 _"It's you and me, Neo. No matter what happens we're gonna survive in this damn world."_

That was what he told her. He said that, and now he was no longer here to hold up his end of the bargain. They were supposed to be together forever. They were supposed to survive. Now she was all that was left.

Everywhere she went she could hear news stations talking about what she had done, but she couldn't muster the strength to care. She was empty. Her face completely calm as she killed the very men and women who had ensured her survival after her fall. She started with the nurse who had brought her food every day, severing her head from her body in such a quick fashion that it appeared as if Neopolitan didn't even move from her bed. The rest of the small clinic soon followed.

Living one moment, and dead the next. Neopolitan had become a reaper, killing all in her path without mercy or remorse. Had it not been for the cameras she may have never been found.

"There she is!"

A group of Huntsmen surrounded her in the ruins outside of town. They appeared to be quite skilled.

"She's the killer? It's just a little girl."

"What happened to her leg?"

"Don't let her appearance fool you. They say she was working with the group that caused the Fall of Beacon."

"How could someone so young kill all those innocent people?"

"She's a monster."

"Why did you do it?! Why did you kill them?!"

Neopolitan didn't answer. She was simply too tired. There was no reason for her to fight anymore. Roman was dead. She had nothing left in this world. What use was she now?

"What's wrong, murderer? The guilt finally catch up with you? Well it's too late to apologize now."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Who cares? There's a huge bounty on her head. Once we take her in we'll be rolling in lien."

"I want to rough her up a little first. Get some revenge for all the people she killed."

The Huntsmen advanced, their weapons ready to strike down the mute assassin. As Neopolitan prepared to accept her fate, a bright ring of fire circled her. The Huntsmen stopped in their tracks.

"What the hell is this?!"

"Did she set a trap before we showed up?!"

"It must be her Semblance!"

Neopolitan was just as confused as the Huntsmen were. Just where did this fire come from?

"Don't you think it's unfair for adults to gang up on a girl like this?"

A figure emerged from behind one of the pillars. Confidently he approached the group, stepping through the ring of fire as if it weren't even there. The Huntsmen got on their guard.

"Are you friends with her?" one of them demanded.

"Not really." he answered with a sanguine grin. "I'm just passing through."

"If you know what's good for you, you better get out of here, kid. Otherwise you're going to get hurt."

The young man's smirk grew beneath his mask. "Then what are you waiting for? Let's have some fun."

As the fight began Neopolitan's vision began to weaken. Her fast had finally caught up with her.

The last thing she saw before falling unconscious was the masked man holding up one of the huntsmen by the neck.

* * *

The crackling of fire greeted Neopolitan as she awoke. Her sight slowly aligning she looked up, it was nighttime.

"You're finally awake."

The young man who had come to her aid was sitting on a log on the other side of the campfire, the leg of some dead animal in his mouth. The aroma of the meat made her mouth water. She hadn't eaten since leaving the hospital.

"Want some? There's a bunch more."

He held up another piece of the animal carcass. Neopolitan stared at it for a moment, contemplating whether or not to take him up on the offer. In the end she scooted back on her log.

"Suit yourself." He shrugged. "More for me." He took another bite. "You're Neopolitan right? Name's Fafnir Dragion. I heard about what you did on the news. Pretty nasty. Sorry for butting in on your fight earlier. You probably could have beat those weaklings no problem. I just couldn't resist a good fight. Those guys were weak though."

Neopolitan's eyes narrowed. Just what was this guy after? He arrived out of nowhere and defeated the Huntsmen chasing her, but why? He had no reason to. Was he also looking to collect the bounty on her head? The more she thought about it. The more she realized she really didn't care either way. If he turned her in she would spend the rest of her life in jail, but that was preferable to the hell she lived now.

"I changed the bandages on your leg." He told her. "They were looking pretty nasty."

She looked down to the nub, sure enough there were fresh bandages wrapped around it.

"If you're worried about me turning you in, don't be. I'm not."

The mute's brow raised slightly as he continued.

"Truth is I was kind of sent out here to look for you. The people I work with want to recruit you and-hold on." He removed his mask and placed it in front of the log. "Damn thing gets itchy if I wear it too long. Where was I? Oh yeah. So how about it? Wanna join us? That's not really a request by the way. If you don't, you die. I just thought I'd ask anyway."

This was it. Her way out. All Neopolitan had to do was say no and she would be killed. Her suffering would finally end. As she raised her head to refuse his offer, her eyes slowly widened when she saw the face behind the mask.

From the light of the campfire embers, Neopolitan saw her savior was Natsu Schnee. He was one of the students who attended Beacon Academy, but more importantly he was friends with Ruby Rose, the killer of Roman Torchwick. In that moment she finally realized what she had to do.

She grabbed her sword and leapt over the fire.

"Hey!" Fafnir fell to his back, watching as the angered girl soared over him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

She attacked again. Fafnir sidestepped, letting her fall on her face in the dirt.

"You really can't do anything on one leg." he said. "You need to stop before you open your wounds back up."

Neopolitan refused to listen and once again attacked. Her body fatigued from lack of food and water, she didn't even have enough energy to use her Semblance. She flailed her sword around helplessly, her anger rising as her strikes missed. Fafnir watched as she fell on her face again.

"This is getting embarrassing. You're never going to hit me." He bent down behind her. "Now how about you stop and eating something before-"

Neopolitan tackled him to the ground, his head hitting the back of the log. "Ow! Dammit! You-" Fafnir stopped when he saw Neopolitan's face.

She was straddling his lap, pounding his chest with weak fists as tears streamed down her face. Her hands went numb from the cold, but she kept hitting. He had to die! He just had to! First she'd kill him, then his friends, and finally Ruby Rose!

They had to pay!

There had to be consequences for what they did!

They had to pay for taking Roman away from her!

She had to get revenge. There was nothing else she could do. It was the only reason she was still alive.

Fafnir looked at the girl pitifully as her hits slowed. Eventually she came to a stop, her eyes still filled with hate as she looked down at him. He reached up, holding her face in his hands. She tried to break his grip, but it was no use. She was too weak to fight anymore.

"It's ok."

Her eyes widened. Fafnir continued.

"You've been through a lot. It only makes sense that you'd cry. Just let it out."

Neopolitan's lip quivered and she let out an anguished wail that echoed throughout the entire forest. Her voice had never been heard by anyone before, not even Roman. Though drenched in pain and sadness, it's tone was still hauntingly beautiful.

For so long she bottled her emotions inside, never showing weakness. This was the first time she was allowed to express her true feelings. She was alone, and that isolation scared her more than anything in the world. Fafnir pulled her close, rubbing the back of her head as she sobbed. Somehow he knew just what to do in this situation.

They stayed that way for the rest of the night.

* * *

"First thing we need to do is get you a new leg. I know a guy who can fix you right up. He's a total jerk, but he does good work."

Neopolitan had been riding on Fafnir's back since they left the forest earlier that morning. Not only was she embarrassed to be carried around like a child, she was angry with herself for what happened last night. How could she show weakness like that in front an enemy? Once more why was she letting herself be carried by him? She should be killing him, but for some reason she didn't have the strength of mind to go through with it.

"You alright back there?"

She turned her head, refusing to answer his question. He grinned.

Neopolitan reached into his pocket and grabbed his scroll. She typed a message.

 **Who are you?**

"What do you mean? I told you before my name is Fafnir Dragion."

That didn't make any sense to the mute. Was his name not Natsu Schnee? She was sure of it. She had seen him fight with Roman before and she was sure that Ruby Rose and the others called him that. They were friends. Was he playing a trick on her? She had to get to the bottom of this.

 **Do you know Ruby Rose?**

"Yeah."

Neopolitan tensed.

"Girl with silver eyes right? I've never **met** her but my mother's told me some things."

Neopolitan was even more confused than before. Judging from his tone Fafnir wasn't lying, but how was that possible? She saw him before The Fall. He was laughing and talking with Ruby Rose and her friends. They knew one another. Something was definitely amiss here.

"What do you know about that girl?"

Neopolitan was hesitant to answer, but she typed the message anyway.

 **She took someone very important away from me. I hate her.**

"Oh. What are you going to do if you see her again?"

 **…I am going to kill her.**

Fafnir paused. "Well you can't do that alone can you?"

Neopolitan was caught off-guard.

"I'll help you out if you want. We can take her together."

 **Why would you do that?** **You have no reason to help me.**

"I know, but I want to. When you were crying last night you kind of reminded me of someone."

 **Who?**

"I don't really know, but what I **do** know is that I didn't like seeing you cry. You were alone and I know what that feels like. I was all by myself until my mother found me. Without her I wouldn't be here right now. I owe her my life. I guess what I'm saying is that you don't have to be alone anymore." He smiled wide at her. "You've got me now, and I promise I'm not going to leave you."

The assassin's eyes widened. She could feel warmth radiating from his smile. She never felt anything like it, not even when she was Roman. Sure they depended on each other to survive, but there was still a distance that made it hard for them to get too close. Roman was a very private individual. But Natsu…or rather Fafnir, Neopolitan felt like she could trust in him. Even if it was only a bit.

"So what do you say? Partners?"

 _"Name's Roman Torchwick. Criminal extraordinaire. Nice to meet you, partner."_

Neopolitan smiled genuinely for the first time since The Fall as she remembered Roman.

 **Partners.**

* * *

 **New Chapter! As requested this was the long awaited chapter for Neopolitan. This was much longer than I expected it to be. This about the length of a regular chapter, but I had a lot that I wanted to cover. For those wondering, no Neopolitan does not have romantic feelings for Natsu/Fafnir. She seems him more as an older brother figure.**

 **It was kind of challenging to write a chapter dedicated solely to her since she doesn't talk, but it was fun nonetheless. Hopefully you all enjoyed it too.**

 **Next up is Team CFVY. They will be the final chapter for "Volume 4.5". There will be a couple of surprises in that chapter, so be on the lookout for those.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	56. Devil in the Details

Velvet rolled in the dirt, her body coming to a stop when she hit a large rock stick in the ground. She gingerly rose to her feet, her weapons – imitations of twin swords – still firmly in her hands. Her clothes were a mess, and her armor having long broken awake; having been strewn about the battlefield. Her aura was also severely depleted. She should have been unable to move, let alone fight. Yet she stood.

"Again."

"Perhaps we should call it a day." Fox suggested, looking to the oranges skies. "The sun is starting to set."

The trio had been training since noon. If Velvet had her way they would have started as soon as the sun rose, but thanks to Coco it was postponed to after they had eaten lunch.

"I agree." said the large teen, his breathing slightly labored. He and Fox were also a little worse for wear, but compared to Velvet they may as well have been the picture of perfect health.

"Again!"

Yatsuhashi and Fox exchanged worried looks. Despite her current state it was clear to them that Velvet had no intentions of stopping any time soon. They wanted to stop then and there, but their pride as warriors wouldn't allow them. They readied their weapons.

"If you insist." Fox conceded.

"Don't say we didn't warn you." warned Yatsuhashi.

Even though they were only second years, Team CFVY was at one time heralded as one of the strongest teams Beacon Academy had ever seen. Some even called them the second coming of Team STRQ. Each mission they took was completed swiftly and without fail. They were truly a team in every sense of the word - which was even more surprising to some when it was revealed that they had only been formed near the end of the previous school year. This was mostly thanks in part to the leadership of Coco Adel, who took control of the team when their previous leader transferred to Haven Academy. As well as the late addition of Velvet Scarlatina.

Having come to Beacon from Menagerie, it was safe assume that she was more than a little overwhelmed. Before coming to Vale she had never left the island. The only reason she even came to Beacon was that she was personally scouted by Professor Ozpin.

Even though she had a timid personality, Velvet was considered one of the best warriors Menagerie had to offer. Since the island didn't offer much in the way of combat schools, her parents were thrilled that she was chosen for Vale. Had they seen what happened during the Fall they might have thought twice about sending her there.

The Fall of Beacon. It was a proving ground for CFVY to stake their claim as the greatest of their generation but - through no fault of their own - they failed miserably.

Though they battled bravely along with their schoolmates, as well as the students from visiting academies, in the end it was all for naught. The school fell and numerous people – including their Headmaster – were killed in the chaos.

It was a massive blow to the ego for sure, but that was only the start of what would become many problems. Within the first month of their assignment to Mistral, they ran afoul of a group of what they assumed were bandits. In a matter of minutes the strongest team in Beacon Academy had been thoroughly crushed, but that was not the end of it. The most shocking part was that one of their foes was a friend they had previously thought dead.

Velvet ducked under the swing of Yatsuhashi's wide sword, the wind rushing over her ears. She jumped, her knee colliding under his chin and destroying his balance. With Yatsu down Fox moved in.

Thrusting his fists forward, he created a shockwave that repelled the rabbit back a distance. She caught herself before she went too far and raced back to Fox, her camera switching out her twin swords for a copy of Fox's own wrist blades.

This was Velvet's power. She was a shadow. Able to perfectly imitate the movements of anyone she saw. Once more she only had to see it once to get the full grasp of their abilities. Its was an amazing yet frightening power, which was only amplified when you added her weapon into the mix.

Velvet kicked Fox away just to see Yatsuhashi revive. Once again he swung his sword, but instead of dodging Velvet blocked it. Using a copy of Natsu's Black Summer Gauntlets.

Out of everyone in team CFVY, Natsu's revival had affected Velvet the most. It was no secret that she had grown quite attracted to the rambunctious during their limited time together at Beacon.

Because of her appearance she was always bullied by those who had less than favorable things to say about Faunus. Velvet was no stranger to this fact thanks to her parents talking to her, but she had never experienced it until leaving Menagerie. It made sense. If you were surrounded by people who were just like you, why would you be ridiculed. That was not the case in Vale.

She was ostracized by her peers almost as soon as she entered the school, which only exacerbated her already meek and submissive personality. It wasn't like she wanted to be different. She was simply born that way. It would have helped if she was a Faunus that could hide their animalistic traits, but she could only cover bunny ears with a hat for so long before someone started asking questions. There was also the fact that she was the only Faunus on her team. While they didn't seem to mind her being a Faunus, Velvet could tell that there was still a slight uneasiness among them.

For a long time she felt almost completely alone.

That started to change the day she met Natsu.

Her team nowhere in sight, Velvet could only stand there helplessly as her ears were pulled and tugged by the heckling teens in the lunch room. She thought to herself, _why is no one helping me? Don't they see what's going on?_ But deep in her heart she knew the reason.

It wasn't that her classmates **couldn't** help her, they simply didn't want to. It was the way of things. People could **say** that they saw Faunus as equals, yet when trouble appeared they'd turn a blind eye. In a way she understood their plight. It was always better to concern yourself with things only you could control. There was no reason to involve yourself in business that didn't affect you. You could potentially make things even worse. Even so she wished someone would come to her aid. That when his voice rang out.

"Leave her alone."

She had seen him briefly when the new students were on their way to orientation, but that was only because his hair stuck out from the crowd. Until this moment, Velvet Scarlatina paid no real attention to Natsu Schnee.

He'd grabbed her harasser's wrist, tossing him back into his group of friends. His eyes held within them a quiet anger, one that threatened to be unleashed should the bullies provoke him further. As expected they ran off like the cowards they were. People like that always scurried away when someone stronger arrived to challenge them.

Velvet herself was scared as well, but that fear immediately subsided when she saw his smile for the first time. That moment changed Velvet's life forever. Little by little she improved mentally, opening up to her teammates in ways she never thought she would. All while admiring Natsu from afar. Even with all the improvements she had made during the year, the one thing Velvet still could still not bring herself to do was ask Natsu on a date. Just the thought of it used to make her freeze. When he and Pyrrha became a couple she was heartbroken, but cheered for their happiness nonetheless.

When news of his death reached her she was at a loss for what to do. All she could do was cry. But even then she found a way to move forward thanks to her friends. If Natsu truly was gone then she would honor his memory by becoming an even better Huntress and person than she was when they first met.

But he was **alive**.

No matter how Velvet tried to piece it together, Natsu was truly alive. His messy pink hair. His pitch black eyes. There was no mistaking it. He was right in front of her. So close she could touch him, but she learned all too quickly he was not the same boy she had fallen in love with. For as soon as she saw his face, she felt his fist slam into her stomach and she blacked out. His name on her lips, and tears in her eyes.

Yatsuhashi grabbed Velvet by the neck and forced her to the ground.

"It's over, Velvet. Submit. I don't wish to hurt you."

Velvet had no way to break free. Her body was too sore to move, and her Aura had all but emptied. Even so, she struggled with everything she had left. As fruitless as it was she could not lose here. She **refused** to.

The look on Yatsu's face was one of pity. He understood why she was fighting do hard, but there was only so much she could do in her current state.

"Velvet..."

With her last ounce of strength Velvet kicked Yatsuhashi's knee, dropping him down a level. His grip weakened, Velvet finally managed to break free. She stood over him, her weapons - now twin pistols - pointed at his head. When Fox tried to intervene she pointed one at him as well. The three engaged in a tense standoff, wondering who would make the first move. Velvet slowly started to squeeze the triggers.

"Ok I think that's enough for today."

Coco approached her team from the trees. When Velvet saw her she let her weapons disappear, much to the boys' relief. Even if she was only using dust rounds, a shot at point blank was enough to concuss them, and that was the best case scenario.

"Did you find out anything?" Yatsuhashi asked their leader.

"Nothing. Nobody's seen anyone matching those three's description. It's like they up and vanished."

Coco was on the hunt for Natsu and his new friends. Just like the before she came up with less than nothing.

"Well if what we learned about that Neopolitan is anything to go on, then that may very well be possible." Fox reasoned.

"Well we can get back at it bright and early tomorrow. How about you boys head back to the inn and get cleaned up? Velvet and I need to have a little girl talk."

The boys nodded in agreement and started back on the path to town they were currently staying in for the night.

Coco took next a seat next to Velvet, who had sat down herself not long after she arrived.

"You overdid it again."

Velvet rubbed her right arm. It was numb from fighting for so long. That was one of the draw backs to her ability. While she was able to mimic anyone, her body was not yet in a state where she could copy everyone equally. As such her body would get numb from time to time when she replicated too many styles at once.

"You can't keep doing this, Velvet." Coco said. "You're going to kill yourself if you're not careful."

In the time she had known her, Velvet never knew Coco to tell a lie. She was as bold as her outfits. If she told you something, it was safe to assume it was the truth. According to her anyway.

"I know, but I can't stop…" Velvet weakly argued. "I'm still too weak."

Since leaving the hospital, Velvet trained every day. No matter the weather. It didn't even matter to her if she was alone or with her team. No matter the conditions she would train until the sunset. She learned during battle that words alone would not reach Natsu. The only thing he would understand is fighting. SO she resolved to meet him on that level. No matter the cost to herself.

Coco understood her friend's dilemma, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Running yourself ragged isn't going to help anyone." she told her. "Seriously, you've been moving like a freight train since we fought those guys. You even cut your hair. Against my protests I might add." She flipped the back of Velvet's now shoulder length hair. "We'll find a way to help Natsu. I promise. But we can't do that if we're worrying about you too."

Velvet bit her lip as hard as she could without drawing blood. Coco was right, but Velvet still felt helpless. Natsu was out there somewhere being forced to do things against his will while they were relaxing in a village. It didn't feel right. She had to help him.

Coco stood up, reaching her hand down to Velvet. "We'll figure this out. For now just trust me. Ok?"

Velvet wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed her friend's hand.

"Ok."

* * *

"Told you not to overdo it."

"I'm sorry."

Coco sat Velvet down on the bench next to the door of the inn they were lodging in for the night. She practically had to carry her friend back to town, Velvet's legs having gave out almost immediately after standing up. Coco didn't mind though. One of her many duties as team leader was figuratively – though in this case literally – carrying her teammates.

As Velvet rested, Coco noticed a raven flying overhead. Her eyes followed it as it soared over the crowd, her eyes narrowing behind her shades.

"Coco? Is everything ok?" Velvet could see the pensive look on her friend's face. Coco answered with a smile.

"Yeah. I'm good. I'm going to look in a few more of the stores before they close. You can't find clothes like this just anywhere. You going to be ok by yourself?"

Velvet slowly rose from the bench. "I'll be fine. I just needed to rest for a bit. Be careful."

"Careful is my middle name. You just get some rest."

Velvet nodded. "Goodnight, Coco."

"Night."

As Velvet entered the Inn, Coco's smile slowly started to fade. When she was alone she began moving through the street, following the flight path of the raven that she saw earlier. The trail lead her to an alleyway far enough away from the eyes of the crowd. Against the wall stood a woman with long black hair and the mask of Grimm over her face.

"You looked surprised to see." she said.

Coco bowed. "I am. I wasn't expecting to see you for another week. Has something happened?"

"Yes, but nothing you need to trouble yourself over."

"Forgive me for asking, but why are you here if it's nothing urgent?"

"You saw him...didn't you?"

Coco froze for a moment. She knew exactly who Raven was referring to, but how did she know about it. Realizing that she was taking too long to answer. She nodded.

"Yes. I did."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"No. The only people who know about it are me and my team. We told Goodwitch that we were in the hospital after a fight with the White Fang had gone awry."

"I see. Keep it that way. We want to keep the circle as small as possible." Raven pushed off from the wall and walked past Coco. "Your new assignment is to head towards Haven Academy. Qrow and the children he has been looking after are no doubt there already."

"What do we do when we get to Haven?"

"Nothing. Observe and report. I don't know how, but Qrow knows that Vernal is within our possession. I need to know how he obtained that information. There should be plenty of Grimm around the area to keep your team busy until I give you further instructions." She prepared to slash open a portal back to the Tribe's base camp.

"Wait!" Coco shouted.

"What is it?"

"Natsu…Did you know he was alive?" It was useless question all things considered. She already knew the answer, but she had to be absolutely sure.

Raven answered without hesitation. "Yes."

"And you didn't tell me?! Why?!"

"You forget yourself."

Raven's icy tone alone was enough to send a chill down Coco's spine. It was even distressing since she didn't even feel the need to raise her voice.

The leader of Team CFVY quickly bowed her head. "Forgive my outburst."

Raven faced the girl, her red eyes glowing beneath her mask. "I didn't tell you because there was no need. The information would have not affected your mission in any way. The fact that your group even encountered into him was a simple stroke a bad luck. Nothing more."

"What happened to him?" Coco implored. "When we fought it was like he was an entirely different person. He didn't recognize us at all."

"That is Salem's doing. She has somehow found a way to not only bring Natsu back from the dead, but control him as well. But they are not your concern at the moment. We will deal with the both of them when the time comes."

"But what about what my team? I can't just-"

"You can and you will." Raven sternly interrupted. "I have already given you your assignment, and I expect you to follow it, not get embroiled in petty grudges. So until I say otherwise you will not get involved with Salem and her forces. Do you understand me?"

Coco fell silent.

"Mocha!"

Coco jumped at the sound of her real name. She bowed her head once more.

"…Yes, Lady Raven."

"Good. I will expect a report in the coming days."

Raven slashed open a portal and stepped through it, leaving Coco alone in the alleyway. She looked down at her necklace. It was the same as the one Raven wore. It represented her loyalty as a member of the Tribe. As she thought of her new set of orders, her anger started to rise.

"Dammit!"

She slammed her bag into the wall as hard as she could, creating a large hole in her wake as she walked back to the street.

* * *

When Coco returned to her team's room she was smiling with a number of shopping bags in hand. Her smiled was a fake one of course, but she had to keep up appearances for the sake of her mission. She hated lying to her friends, but no one could know about where her true allegiances lied.

"What is with that weird smile?" Yatsu asked.

"Looks like she found some more things." Fox commented.

"Damn right. All for a good price too." Coco set the bags on the night stand next to her bed and sat down, taking off her boots. "We got our next set of marching orders too."

"Where are we going now?" Velvet inquired.

"Haven Academy."

* * *

 **New chapter! And that is it for Chapter 4.5! These little one-shots were pretty fun to do, but in the end they were just a temporary detour before we start Volume 5. Hopefully you guys liked them.**

 **For those curious, the idea to put Coco in the Tribe came about from a little piece of trivia that I saw on the RWBY wiki that stated she and Raven having the same necklace. It was more than likely a design choice on the part of the creator's but I decided to expand on it. Neo wears the necklace as well, but she isn't part of the tribe. She simply killed someone and took theirs because she thought it looked nice. And thus the circle is complete.**

 **The story will be going on a hiatus for a bit until Volume 5 has completed, but I'm letting you guys know that I already have some ideas plotted out for it. Some involving the Spring Maiden (Vernal) and some involving Weiss as well.**

 **I just need to see what the show does first so I don't miss any new characters introduced that might make a mess of things and make me backtrack (we don't want another Whitley situation). For those that want a little preview of what is to come, check out the latest chapter of "Misinterpreted" where I made a little preview.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading and see you in a couple of months! :)**


	57. Old Wounds

Death is the end of all things. At least it's supposed to be.

If you were to ask Natsu Schnee about death, he would more than likely tell you it was only the beginning of a much harder journey. One that started inside of a grimy stone cell.

* * *

The faint echo of dripping water could be heard coming from the roof of the cell in the back corner of the hall. Inside, Natsu was finally starting to come to after sleeping for what felt like days. He opened his eyes, his sight fiercely assaulted by the light of a candle hanging on the wall beyond the rusted iron bars in front of him.

"Where…where am I?"

He tried to move. As soon as he stood up he felt a weight around his wrists and ankles. He was chained to the floor.

"What the hell?"

Natsu tried breaking the restraints, but he was too weak. He heard a ringing and immediately felt a sharp pain in his head. He fell to his knees and cried out, clutching his head as random images flashed in his mind. An infirmary. A girl lying in bed hooked up to various machines. He had no idea how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered before this moment was being struck by Cinder's arrow. The next moment everything went dark.

He remembered running out of the room and finding himself in a dark castle. Just the atmosphere inside made his spine tingle. It was eerie, frightening, and reeked of death. Outside was no better. For some reason the skies above were blood red, and there were Grimm all over the place. He raced down the nearest corridor and came face to face with Mercury Black. Before his former teammate could even utter a word, Natsu knocked him out with a swift punch to the chin.

Not long after that he was set upon by Grimm. He fought bravely, but was ultimately swarmed by the herd. The last thing he saw before blacking out again was a pale women in a long black coat reaching out to him.

"Dammit! I gotta break out of here and find my friends!"

As he fought to free himself, he heard a door open further down the hall. He stopped moving, carefully listening to the heels of shoes lightly clacking against the cobblestone floor. The sound was getting louder the more seconds passed. Whoever showed up was coming closer. A somewhat familiar smell found its way to his nose, but it was too faint to make out clearly in his weakened state. The figure came into view before long; stopping in front of Natsu's cell.

A young woman, not much older than him, adorned in a long red dress with golden accents that shimmered in the candle light. One of the sleeves was missing, revealing a slender arm covered with a thin black glove that trailed up to her elbow. The other arm was hidden within the long left sleeve of the dress.

"...Cinder?"

She looked completely different since last he saw her. Her once long, flowing hair now stopped above her shoulders, and there was covering over her left eye as if it had been removed or damaged. Once more there was a noticeable x-shaped scar over the bridge of her nose. Her once exceptional beauty had been permanently marred.

"You're finally awake."

A faint smile appeared on the Maiden's face. Her voice was raspy, having lost much of the smooth and sultry timbre it once had.

"Where am I?!" Natsu inadvertently pulled on his chains as he stood to face her. "Where are my friends?! What happened to the school?! What did you do to Pyrrha?!"

"Slow down. We have more than enough time to talk." She looked to his chains. "I just wish it were under better conditions."

"Answer me!" Natsu demanded.

Slowly Cinder's smile faded away.

"Beacon is gone."

Natsu's eyes widened. "Wh…what?"

"I'm sorry. It was the only way."

"What happened?"

"I-"

"What happened?!"

"Humanity failed as they always do." Cinder told him as she sat down in front of the cell. "When given the chance to better themselves they refused. So it was up to **us** to show them the folly in their ignorance. We had to teach them a lesson."

"You mean you and the White Fang?" Natsu retorted.

"They were only a means to an end. Only as useful as we deem them to be. Once they outlive that usefulness they will be disposed of."

"Where the hell am I and why am I chained up?"

"You are somewhere safe. The chains are only a precaution. So you won't hurt yourself or others like you did with Mercury."

"I'd punch him a million more times if I could." Natsu spat. "Why are you here? You gonna shoot me with an arrow again?"

"I didn't-!" Cinder's eye flashed and she stood up. Realizing how high her energy had spiked, she calmed down. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. Just know that I didn't mean for...that to happen."

"Whatever." Natsu sat back against the wall. "I'm going to get out of here and rescue the others. Just wait."

Cinder was confused. "What do you mean 'others'?"

"My friends! Weiss, Pyrrha, Ruby, and the others. I know they're trapped here too, and when I bust out of these stupid shackles and find them you're gonna wish you killed me back at Beacon."

Cinder looked to him with pity. "Natsu. **You** are the only person in all of these cells. No one else is down here."

Natsu scoffed. "Sure. I know you're trying to trick me, but it's not going to work. If I don't get out of here, then my friends will come and bust me out. Either way you guys are in trouble."

"You don't understand. Ruby Rose and her friends are **never** coming for you."

Natsu was starting to get angry. "You're lying! They'll realize I'm missing and come find me. You'll see."

"No I won't. They don't even know you're alive."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You mentioned earlier that I was going to wish I killed you during our battle on Beacon Tower, but the truth is that you did." She placed her hand on her chest. "My arrow pierced your heart. Right here. And you died right before my eyes."

Natsu's was in shock. "I…what?" He forced himself upright, stumbling forward before falling in front of the bars. "You're lying. If I'm dead then how are you talking to me? Dead people can't talk."

A warm smile crossed Cinder's lips.

"That's what is so amazing. You **were** dead, but Master Salem brought you back to life."

"Salem…?"

The name sounded familiar, but Natsu couldn't remember where he had heard it. Cinder continued.

"Your so called 'friends' abandoned you. Pyrrha Nikos. Ruby Rose. Even your sister. All of them simply left you to rot in the ground. A martyr. None of them even attempted to find a way to bring you back. But I was different. You and I both know I would never let something like that happen to you. The thought of you rotting in the cold ground, it was too much to bear. I could not allow a being as wondrous as you to simply waste away and be forgotten to time. It was unforgivable. Luckily my master and I were like minded in that regard. She brought you back to life." She reached through the bars, her hand caressing the horrified young man's face. "She brought you back to **me**."

Natsu felt a pain in his chest, it was from the scar that Cinder's arrow had left behind, but there was also something else he felt. Or rather, couldn't feel.

"My heart…"

"I told you, Natsu. You **died**. The dead's hearts don't beat."

"How...? I..."

Cinder sympathized with Natsu's plight. "Don't worry, my love. No matter what you are, I promise I won't abandon you. You and I share one soul. Eternally. I will always stay by your side."

* * *

The sun rose over the city of Mistral, signaling the start of a new day. The light of the star filtered in through the blinds of the room where Ruby Rose and Nora Valkyrie slept. The latter's thunderous snores somehow went unnoticed by Ruby as she didn't move an inch the whole night - though this could because of the noise-cancelling headphones she wore. Normally three people called this room their own, but the third bed was empty, having been so since before dawn.

Behind the house was Pyrrha Nikos. Unable to sleep, she did what she always did at this hour. Train.

With each slash of her sword, every pivot of her shield, and every round fired from her rifle she thought of Natsu.

 _"My name is Fafnir Dragion! I don't know who Natsu is!"_

Every attack grew more and more intense.

 _"I hate cowards."_

Her eyes began to glow and she gritted her teeth. When she remembered Natsu running away from the airship she could no longer hold it in. With a roar Pyrrha swung her sword as hard she could, creating a wave of fire that flew through the air. Luckily there was nothing in sight that could have been engulfed by the flames. She took a breath and sheathed her sword.

"I did it again."

"You're up early."

Pyrrha turned to see Jaune walking up to her.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Nah. Ren just finished breakfast so I was waking everyone else up. Want some? He made pancakes."

Pyrrha smiled softly. "Sure. That sounds lovely."

* * *

The quiet hum of the airbus engine nearly put Weiss Schnee back to sleep. It had been a few days since she had left Atlas behind. Part of her wondered if her father even knew she was gone. It was more than likely, especially if Whitley was stalking about waiting to torment her only to find her room vacant of all but broken windows and bookshelves.

She mused on just what her father would do after discovering her disappearance. Perhaps he would issue a manhunt using the military, or maybe he would place a bounty on her head. One thing was for sure though, when he **did** find out she would be in even more trouble than she was before she left. If that was even possible. She wasn't concerned about herself though. She was much more worried about Klein.

There was no doubt in Weiss' mind that he would feel the full brunt of her father's wrath for his part in her plan. Just the thought of anything bad happening to him was enough to make her return to Atlas right now, but she knew Klein was able to take care of himself. For better or worse he knew what he signed on for.

As the clouds slowly passed outside the cargo bay window, the heiress reminded herself of just why she had left home in the first place.

Her brother's body was missing.

She could still remember the night Emily frantically ran into her room to tell her the news that Natsu's grave had been disturbed.

The sight of the distressed dirt and overturned headstone was enough to make her heart jump into the pit of her stomach. Her blood ran cold, her hands felt clammy, and her breath was short. It felt like she was having a heart attack.

Immediately she called Winter and told her what had happened. At first her elder sister didn't believe her. She couldn't blame her. If Weiss learned this information second hand, she would be hard pressed to believe it as well. It was just too farfetched. Who would dare sneak on to the grounds of the Schnee household in the first place? Let alone defile one of the family graves. It was simply too fantastical a tale.

But Weiss insisted, sending a picture as proof of the event.

It was a little while before Winter answered. Weiss thought she was simply in a spot that didn't get messages, and tried to send another until Winter called her. She only said one thing.

"I will look into it."

She then hung up just as abruptly as she called. When Weiss tried calling back there was no answer.

That was over two months ago.

No matter what she did she could never get ahold of her sister. She even tried speaking to General Ironwood about it. But all he said was that Winter was on a "top secret assignment and could be compromised".

Weiss didn't believe that line for a second. Ironwood was hiding something. He always was. And once more Winter was possibly in on it. She briefly thought that Ironwood was behind taking Natsu's body, but then realized how ludicrous that notion was. Just what use would he have for a dead body? That and Winter would never let it happen. Even if she had great respect for the General.

Still, Weiss couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her neck. There was something at play here, and it had to do with General Ironwood.

"One problem at a time, Weiss." she told herself. "First you find Natsu, and **then** you can worry about everything else." She looked out of the window for a few more minutes, her foot tapping against the metal floor. "I can't take this anymore."

She went to the cockpit.

"How much farther do we have?" she asked the pilot.

"Won't be long now. I'm actually a little surprised we've gone this far without seeing anyone. I guess because the towers went down. There wasn't even much air traffic around Anima. We shouldn't have any more stops though. From here on out it's a straight shot to Mistral."

"Thank goodness." Weiss cranked her neck and rubbed her sore shoulder. A dusty cargo hold was no place for a former heiress, but she'd endured worse.

"Sorry you've been scrunched up back there." The pilot sympathized. "Keeping a low profile is hard nowadays after the Fall."

"It's fine. I didn't expect this trip to be a comfortable one. I just hope I didn't inconvenience you too much."

The pilot grinned. "At the price you paid, you can inconvenience me however you want."

Weiss ignored his joke and looked out of the windshield. Before her were floating islands floating over a crystal clear lake. The sight was breathtaking.

"Where are we?"

"Lake Matsu. Those islands you see are being held up by large deposits of Gravity dust that collected under the lake for years."

"It's beautiful. Do people live on them?"

"Nope. They aren't stable enough to build towns or houses on yet. The only things that live there are some real nasty Grimm called Lancers. We gotta be careful going through here. Those things are hell to get rid of."

Just then the radio started to produce static.

"What is that?"

"I don't know." The pilot turned the dials. "We shouldn't be picking up anything this far out from Mistral. Someone's gotta be close to our location."

He evened out the wavelengths and a frightened voice could be heard screaming out from the radio.

"Mayday! Mayday! Requesting immediate assistance! Our Huntress is down! I repeat our Huntress is down!"

Weiss' back stiffened. From the sounds of it that ship was under attack.

"We're 400 klicks north of the southern shoreline! Please if anyone is out there come and-"

Just then an explosion was heard.

"Oh god they're inside! Someone! Anyone! Help us! Help-"

The transmission harshly cut out.

"Damn." The pilot turned off the radio and started turning the ship starboard.

"What are you doing? We have to help them!"

"And what? Get ourselves killed in the process? Sorry, but I didn't get paid **that** much."

Weiss clenched her fists, her mind flashing back to the Fall. Just like then she couldn't do anything to help.

"We can't just let them die." she uttered.

The pilot could see the concern on her face. He let out a weary sigh.

"Look. If we heard the transmission then I'm sure someone else did too. Besides a cargo ship is not much good when it comes to fighting. I feel for them too, but a dogfight is not what I signed up for. Sorry, kid."

Weiss came to terms with the pilot's decision and started to settle down, looking out of the windshield with pity as the ship continued to soar over the lake.

* * *

Pyrrha quietly ate her breakfast as her friends engaged in conversation around her. Nora and Ren were talking about a dream the former had last night, something about dragons and people with magical powers, while Ruby and Jaune spoke about the journey they had through town the previous day. It had been a little over a week since they arrived in Mistral, and they had just recently found the time to relax and enjoy the city.

Pyrrha was much more subdued when it came to Mistral. She remembered coming to the city many times when she was younger because of her parents. She also toured Haven Academy before eventually choosing to go to Beacon. Sometimes she wondered how different her life would be if she had chosen to go to Haven. Would her life have gotten hectic if she did?

"Right, Pyrrha?"

The redhead gaze snapped to Ruby. Apparently she needed some kind of confirmation for something.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. What did you say?"

"I was talking about how amazing this city is. You think it's pretty too, right?"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "Y-yes. It's lovely."

"What do you think Professor Lionheart is like?" Nora wondered.

"If Professor Ozpin trusted him then I'm sure he is a man of honorable character." Voiced Ren.

"Well we won't know until we meet him." Jaune stated.

"Right!" Ruby shot up from her seat. There were still bits of food stuck to the corners of her mouth, but no one had the heart to tell her about it. "Then let's go find out! Uncle Qrow said he'd meet us in front Haven Academy. Let's move out!"

"Not before cleaning up." Ren said.

After cleaning their plates - an act both Ruby and Nora both made known they weren't fans of - the group made their way to the front door. Pyrrha however, remained behind.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

The redhead fidgeted a little bit. "Well…I was thinking about… **not** going to Haven. At least not right now."

The group were confused by this sudden revelation.

"Are you feeling sick?" inquired Ren.

"Is it because you're afraid they will try to enroll you?" questioned Nora. Everyone gave her an incredulous look. "What?! **I** would be. I heard Haven is pretty hard school to stay in."

"It's nothing like that. It's just..." she fidgeted some more. "My mother. She lives not far from here and I haven't seen her in quite some time so I thought I would…you know." She quickly bowed her head. "I'm so sorry. I know it's selfish of me with so much at stake. I can see her later. I don't have to-"

"Don't worry about it." Ruby interrupted. Go see your mom."

Pyrrha looked up to see her friends smiling back at her. "A-are you sure?"

"Yep."

"Family is important." Stated Ren with a knowing nod. "I'm sure your mother is very worried about you after everything that happened at Beacon. We understand completely."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed. "We can always tell you what happened when you get back. It'll probably be just a bunch of boring adult talk about 'the end of the world' and stuff. You won't miss much."

"But I-"

Jaune placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "I'll come with you if you're feeling that nervous. I've always wondered how the 'great Pyrrha Nikos' grew up anyway."

"I bet there are training dummies everywhere." Ruby said.

"Yeah, and weighted clothes that are over one hundred pounds!" Nora exclaimed.

"There are probably lots of weapons as well, and a room strictly for meditation." Ren added.

Pyrrha giggled at her friends fantasies. "It's nothing that involved I assure you. It's just a normal house."

Nora and Ruby's enthusiasm deflated.

"That's a bummer." The latter said.

"Thank you, all." Pyrrha smiled. "I promise I will return as quickly as I can."

"Take your time." smiled Ruby.

* * *

Jaune followed Pyrrha through a spacious meadow on the outskirts of town. Having been dropped onto the central path by a merchant cart around an hour ago, Pyrrha hadn't said much to him since they set out on their journey to her home. It was a bit worrying. However he chose not to pry too much. After everything that had happened recently, he understood that sometimes it was best to just stay silent. Though it did make him feel pretty useless as a leader that he couldn't at least get her to say **something**.

"I wonder how the others are doing."

Pyrrha's statement brought Jaune out of his thoughts for the moment. From the tone of her voice he could tell she was worried.

"I'm sure they're fine." he reassured. "Those guys can take care of themselves. Plus they have Ruby's uncle."

"I know but…" Pyrrha's voice trailed off for a moment.

"What is it?"

"…Never mind."

Pyrrha made a sound Jaune couldn't quite make out after she said this. It sounded like a moan, but it might have been more of a content sigh. There was no way to tell without asking her directly. Seeing the disheartened look on her face, he tried to change the subject.

"So…when's the last time you saw your parents?"

"When I left for Beacon."

The blonde facepalmed. "Right. Stupid question."

"It's fine." The redhead chuckled. She appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood. "My parents were never really one's for technology so I never called them or used the CCT tower."

"How did you let them know what was going on at school if you never called?"

"We exchanged letters."

Jaune was surprised at her answer. _Who writes letters anymore?_ He thought.

"I'd get letters about once a week from home."

"Really? I never saw any laying around the room."

"I hid them in the trunk where I stored my weapons after reading them. I didn't want Nora getting into them."

Jaune understood immediately. He could picture Nora finding the letters and reading them out loud to anyone within earshot. One time she read the note his mom put into the spare pair of underwear she had sent him. He still could hear the echoes of laughter from every one in the cafeteria before he went to sleep at night.

"That makes sense."

"We're here."

The pair stopped in front of a house sitting in front of a rather sizable pond. There was quite a bit of land surrounding it, in fact Jaune wasn't even sure if there was anything for a few miles.

The house itself was of modest size, not big enough to cause a scene, but still large enough to raise a small family. The stone chimney neatly stood up from the right side - the smoke billowing out from the top indicating that someone was indeed home. There was also a small horse stable not far from the pond, as well as what looked to be a homemade forge connected to the back of the home.

Jaune was amazed for lack of a better word. The home was nothing like he imagined, but at the same time he felt that it fit Pyrrha's overall image. He looked to her. She was blushing for some reason.

"What's up?"

"Hm!" she squeaked. The red on her cheeks deepened. "O-oh! It's just…I've never brought a…boy home before."

Now Jaune was blushing. The reality of the situation had finally stared to set in.

"R-right!" he nervously laughed. "T-that makes sense! I've never b-brought a boy, I mean girl! I've never brought a girl home either! I've brought boys home, but just as friends!"

Pyrrha started to laugh as Jaune kept tripping over his words. She felt her anxieties slip away the longer he went on, desperately trying to explain that he was only interested in girls, but there was nothing wrong with boys. Eventually he realized how ridiculous he sounded and joined her in laughter. After a minute or so the two calmed down.

"Thank you, Jaune. I needed that."

"No problem. Always here to help. Though I wish it wasn't at my expense."

Pyrrha took a breath and lightly tapped on the front door. The pair heard shuffling coming from the other side.

"Just a minute!"

The voice was distinctly feminine. The door then swung open, revealing a woman with a striking resemblance to Pyrrha. When she saw her daughter, her eyes went wide.

"Pyrrha…?" she gasped.

Tears started to pool in the girl's eyes.

"I'm home, mother."

* * *

Blake looked out to the night sky from the balcony of her home. It was eerily quiet tonight. Much quieter than it had been recently. She half expected a Grimm to appear from the blackness and attack, or rather she **wanted** one to appear. Grimm were something she could handle easily. People on the others were a completely different animal altogether, as she was quickly finding out.

"Is everything alright, Miss Belladonna?"

A guard doing his evening patrol had stumbled upon Blake during her brooding. It had been like this ever since she and her family publicly denounced the White Fang. Guards were posted around the perimeter of the Belladonna homes at all hours of the day. While Blake appreciated the sentiment, she still found it just the tiniest bit annoying. She never liked being watched.

"I'm fine. Just need a little privacy." She tempered her response as much as she could. He was simply doing his job, no need to be cross.

"Of course, Ma'am. Sorry for disturbing you. I'll be close if you need me."

"Thank you."

The guard saluted and continued his rounds.

It had certainly been a hectic few days for Blake and her friends.

After confronting the Albain brothers with the information on contained on Illia's scroll, they were shocked when they passed all the blame onto the poor girl. They were even further taken aback when Illia accepted it all with no problem.

Ghira, Sun, and Neon were furious, but Blake was oddly calm about the situation. For some reason she expected this to happen. Though that didn't mean she wasn't still disappointed. She assured her friends and family that everything would be fine, but Blake would have been lying if she said that she had trouble believing in that. They didn't have many options left. She could feel it in the air. Things would get worse before they got better. Much worse.

"Your security could use some work."

Blake whipped around, seeing Illia drop from the roof and onto the railing of the balcony. Without hesitation Blake reached for Gambol Shroud.

"Wait!" Illia showed Blake her hands, revealing that she had come unarmed. Whatever she had come for was obviously worth risking her life. "I just want to talk."

Blake tightened the grip on her weapon. "It's a little late for that isn't it?"

"Hopefully not. Please. Just listen to what I have to say."

After a more few seconds of contemplation Blake slowly eased up, giving Illia permission to speak.

"Your plan. Using the scroll to try and sway public opinion? It isn't going to work. Nothing will change. The best thing for you and your family to do is to **leave** Menagerie while you still can."

Blake stood her ground. "We'll find a way to take down the Albains. Even if we have to do it on our own."

Illia removed her mask, her eyes filled with remorse. "Blake, you don't understand-"

"Understand what?! How you could take the fall for them? You're right. I **don't** understand. Why would you do that? Do you know what they said tonight? They completely denounced you. Saying how 'disappointed' they were that you sided with Adam. Can't you tell they're just using you?! You're nothing but a pawn to them!"

"You don't know anything."

"I know one thing, regardless of whether this plan works or not, we are not going **anywhere**. If you want us to leave, you're going to have to **make** us."

"…I know." With that solemn reply, Illia put her mask back on and jumped from the balcony. Her skin changing to match the night.

Once she was gone, Blake's anger slowly morphed to sadness. She looked up to the moon as a familiar voice rang in her head like it had many times before.

 _"I'll always be your friend. No matter what you did in the past."_

Blake smiled ruefully.

"What would you do if you were me, Natsu?"

She went back inside.

* * *

Jaune sat somewhat awkwardly on the couch as Pyrrha helped her mother prepare dinner. He looked around the house. It was about as clean as he expected, perhaps even cleaner. Everything was tidy and exactly where it needed to be. Nothing was even slightly out of place. Jaune now knew the origins of Pyrrha's cleaning habits. He could also see all of the trophies she had won in various competitions over the years.

In the kitchen Pyrrha and her mother were talking and laughing as they finished dinner. Jaune couldn't help but notice how similar they were.

It wasn't strange that children resembled their parents, but Pyrrha and her mother were nearly identical. It wouldn't have been hard to mistake them for sisters if one weren't paying attention. They were both beautiful and tall. The only noticeable differences were that Pyrrha's mother had shorter hair - stopping just below her shoulders - and her bust was slightly bigger. Not that Jaune was staring or anything.

"Jaune was it?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" He shot up from the sofa.

"I'm sorry to ask, but would you mind setting the table? The food is almost ready."

"Ok."

Jaune did as he was told and quickly prepared the dinner table inside the kitchen. He wasn't as fast as Ren, but he still had pride in his own abilities. He sat down, watching as the two placed down the food in front of them. Bread, steamed vegetables, and freshly cooked meat.

It smelled heavenly.

"Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Nikos."

"Please. Call me Thetis. You two came at just the right time. Those carrots were just harvested this morning. The meat I had been saving for a few days."

"Mother goes hunting every once in a while." Pyrrha explained. "She's the best archer I've ever seen."

"I'm not as good as I once was." Her mother said with a blush. "Age catches us all. Feel free to dig in whenever you want. We wouldn't want this food to go to waste."

Jaune did just that. His first bite into the loaf of bread he felt an explosion of flavor in his mouth. It was like tasting a cloud. Fluffy, but not too much where it overpowered the sweet taste. The vegetables were just as good. Nice and crunchy. And the meat melted off of bone.

"It seems he likes it." Thetis chuckled as she watched Jaune eat. Pyrrha giggled as well.

Once dinner was finished, the three moved to the living room. Thetis sat in the armchair, while Pyrrha and Jaune shared the small sofa. Just the slightest bit of movement and they were brushing shoulders. They had to nearly sit on the arms to prevent from getting too close.

Jaune noticed a picture hanging above the fireplace. It showed Pyrrha – obviously much younger than she is now – and Thetis – who looked somewhat the same. Behind them was a large man with a cane and dark brown hair. There was a scar on the left side of his face that ran down from his eye, but that didn't stop his small smile from shining through.

"Is that your dad?" he asked Pyrrha.

Pyrrha and Thetis looked at the photo with very different expressions. Thetis smiled, while Pyrrha tried to suppress a frown.

"Yes. That is my husband Peleus." Thetis answered.

"Where is he? Is he out at work or-"

"Jaune."

Pyrrha's tone was low but firm, stopping Jaune in his tracks. He looked to Thetis. She was still smiling.

"It's alright, Pyrrha." She dismissed. "Peleus...died a few years ago."

Jaune immediately felt his heart sink into his stomach. "I'm…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's ok. You didn't know." She grabbed the picture and sat back down. "My husband was a gentle man, but he also had a habit of being a little too stubborn for his own good. Even in those final moments. I told him he needed rest, but he refused until he watched his little warrior win the Mistral Regional Tournament." She wiped tear from her eye. "I'm sorry. You think I would have come to terms with it by now."

Pyrrha moved to her mother's side, placing a hand on her shoulder to help calm her down. "Thank you, dear." Thetis placed her hand on top of her daughter's. "So, Jaune, I've read a lot about you from Pyrrha's letter. You're taller than I imagined. A nice looking boy indeed."

Jaune blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "T-thanks. I umm...I eat a lot of meat." He quickly regretted saying that the moment it left his mouth.

"I'm sure." Thetis giggled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from my daughter's boyfriend."

Jaune and Pyrrha's faces burned red.

"Mother!" the latter squealed, pulling her hand away. Her mother was confused.

"Is he not the boyfriend you mentioned in the letters?" She looked to Jaune for confirmation, but he was too stunned to speak.

"I-it's not like that!" her daughter stammered. "Jaune and I are just teammates and friends!"

"Really? But you two seem really close. I just assumed-"

"We're just friends!"

"Ok. Ok. No need to shout, dear. I understand. You and Jaune are just friends."

"T-that's right." Pyrrha nodded sternly and returned to the sofa. When she noticed just how close she was to the still speechless Jaune, she quickly moved the armchair opposite her mother.

"Well where is the young man who has captured my warrior princess' heart?" Thetis prodded with a mischevious smile. "I'd love to meet him."

Jaune came back to his senses just in time to see Pyrrha's shoulder's sink. He could tell what she was thinking about, the questions is what would she tell her mother about Natsu?

"He…" Pyrrha paused as she thought of the right words to say. "He…passed away. During the fall." That was the entire truth, but it was close enough to it.

"Oh. I see." Thetis said. "I'm sorry to heart that."

The warm atmosphere in the home quickly cooled as mother and daughter sat in an awkward silence. Not knowing what else to do, Jaune shouted out the first thing that popped into his head.

"Clothes!"

"I'm sorry?"

Thetis and Pyrrha gave him confused looks.

"Y-your clothes…they don't match what other people in Mistral wear. W-why is that?"

"My clothes?" Thetis looked to the robe she was wearing. It was made of a pure white cloth that reflected beautifully in the light of the setting sun coming through the window. The border design along the opening of the leg was a brilliant gold that also stood out. Suffice to say it looked nothing like the garb people normally wore in Mistral.

"Oh. This is traditional clothing that's belonged to our family for generations. Did Pyrrha never tell you?"

Now Jaune was confused. "Tell me what?"

"We're not originally from Mistral. In fact we only moved her after Pyrrha was born."

"Really?" Jaune looked to his teammate. "Where are you guys from?"

"I was originally born in Atlas." She revealed. "I don't remember much about it though."

"That's alright. I'll fill in the details." Thetis smiled. "My husband was a soldier in the Atlas Military and a proud one at that. All the time he would come home and tell me how much things were changing under General Ironwood and how it would benefit the entire world with the biggest smile on his face. His goal was to eventually become the General's second in command…but that didn't happen."

"W-what happened?"

"The first White Fang bombing. The one at the Schnee Company building in Vale. My husband was caught in the blast while saving civilians and was severely injured. So much so that he was forced to retire early from active duty."

"Oh…"

"It was rough for a little while. We were living paycheck to paycheck and I had just gotten pregnant with Pyrrha. We were wondering how we were going to survive until we were visited by General Ironwood. He said he'd heard on my husband's bravery during the bombing and offered to help us get back on our feet. Suffice to say we were eternally grateful. Within a few months Pyrrha was born and we moved to Mistral. We've been here ever since." Thetis rubbed her thumb over her husband's face.

"Even after the attack Peleus never hated the Faunus. He knew that the actions of a few did not speak for the majority. Even so I know that the incident still affected him. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to serve, but that was all taken away from him because of a group of radicals much more focused on destruction than peace."

Pyrrha stared sadly at her mother. She could still remember the day her father died. That memory would never leave her. The smell of the hospital. How frail and weak he looked as he laid in bed. The sounds of the monitors beeping again and again. Even his final words:

 _"Be strong, my little warrior. Be the one that lifts others, and guides them for the better. Don't ever let yourself be lead astray."_

Thetis placed the photo back on the shelf. "I know this might be a little late to ask, but why are you in Mistral, Pyrrha? Don't get me wrong, I've loved seeing you, but what about your classes? Sure the scholl should be close to repaired by now."

Pyrrha hesitated to answer. "The…the school is still being rebuilt so we've been allowed to come home until they've finished. We'll be heading back to Vale tomorrow."

Jaune immediately knew Pyrrha was lying, but he chose not to say anything about it. There was no way they could tell her mother the real reason they were in Mistral was to stop Haven Academy from going the way of Beacon. It would only worry the poor woman further.

"I see. Are you from Mistral as well, Jaune?"

"Hm? No, ma'am. I'm from Vale."

Thetis raised an eyebrow at this. "Then why did you come all the way to Mistral?"

Jaune realized that she was about to catch onto Pyrrha's lie. "I came to sightsee!" he quickly said. "Pyrrha always told me about Mistral so I thought I'd come and see some of the sights! Y-yeah that's it!"

Thetis stared at him a little longer as if she was waiting for him to crack and fall to pieces from the pressure. However, she smiled.

"That's good. I hope you enjoyed yourself."

The blonde let out a sigh of relief. "I-I did. Thank you."

Thetis looked out side. It was dusk.

"The sun is setting. Why don't the both of you stay the night? Your room is still in the same condition you left it, Pyrrha. As for Jaune, I can bring some blankets and you can sleep on the couch if you want."

"I-"

"We should really get going, Mother." Pyrrha interrupted Jaune before he had a chance to speak. "The airbus that takes us back to Vale leaves early in the morning."

Thetis was saddened by this, but she allowed them to go on their way. "Alright then. Be safe on your way back. There are Grimm lurking about in the woods."

"We will." Pyrrha hugged her mother one last time. "Take care. I'll see you soon."

"I love you, Pyrrha."

"I love you too."

"It was nice meeting you, Jaune."

"You too, ma'am." The blonde returned. He surprised when she hugged him as well.

"Make sure you look after Pyrrha on the way back." she whispered in his ear. "I'm trusting you."

Jaune blushed. "R-right."

"Good boy. No hurry along. You at least want to make it to the path before it gets dark."

Once the pair had left, Thetis once again looked to the family photo on the shelf. When she saw Pyrrha's face she began to cry.

"Goodbye, my little maiden."

* * *

Upon returning to town, Pyrrha and Jaune told the others about their visit to the former's house, as well as filled in on what happened at Haven Academy. Needless to say the situation wasn't as bad as they thought, but it certainly wasn't any better.

They learned more of the relics. Apparently they could only be activated by a specific Maiden, and it just so happened that the Spring Maiden – responsible for the relic of Knowledge hidden within Haven Academy – had not only abandoned her duties years ago, but was taken in by the Branwen Tribe. Which was led by Yang's mother, Raven. Qrow wanted to mount an assault, but Professor Lionheart refused, citing a lack of manpower.

The Spring Maiden was - for now - out of their each - but that wasn't the only problem they faced. The entire world was falling apart at the seams in the wake of the Fall.

Mistral was under constant siege from Grimm, resulting in the loss of many Huntsmen, and Atlas was closing its borders per order of General Ironwood and the country's council.

Pyrrha asked if they were able recover any information about Cinder's group. Ren said that all Lionheart could find on them were forged documents and false letters. Cinder Fall remained a mystery.

As they sat around in the common area contemplating their next move a knock came at the door. Cautiously Jaune opened it, revealing a young boy with olive skin and dark hair standing on their doorstep.

"…Can we help you?"

"Y-yeah…" the boy meekly answered. "Is Ruby Rose here?"

Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora slowly reached for their weapons.

"Why?" Nora questioned sharply.

Before the boy could answer, a drunk Qrow stumbled inside the house from outside.

"I did it!" he slurred. He laughed as he fell on the couch.

"I think her uncle has had a little too much." The young man pointed.

"I found him." Qrow hiccupped. "I did it..."

"What's all that racket?!" Ruby stomped into the living room in a huff. "I am trying to read my comics!" When she saw her uncle she facepalmed. "Are you drunk **again**?"

"Are *hic* you?" he accused.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Alright, big guy. Time for bed." When she moved to collect her drunken heap of an uncle, she finally noticed the boy standing in the doorway. "Um…hi?"

"You have silver eyes."

"Uh yeah." She motioned to the others. "Who is this guy?"

"My name is...Oscar Pine." The boy introduced.

Qrow chuckled. "Wait… this *hic* is good part."

"But you all might know me…as Professor Ozpin."

JNPR and Ruby's eyes widened in complete shock. Qrow on the other hand was as happy as could be.

"I did it!"

He fell off of the couch with a loud thud.

* * *

Leonardo Lionheart sat at his desk with his head in hands. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't shake the guilt welling up in his heart. He tried to tell himself it was for the greater good, that it needed to be done to ensure Mistral's safety, but deep down he knew the truth. He was a coward. He only did what he did to save his own neck. Nothing more and nothing less.

He stood there and lied to Qrow's face like it was nothing. He lied to those children. The very act made his skin crawl every time he thought of it, but he did it anyway. He **had** to.

 _What would Ozpin say? It doesn't matter, he's not here anymore. I had to make choice. Heaven help me I **had** to._

As he thought of the many sins he still had yet to commit, the door to his office opened.

In walked Arthur Watts. A superior smirk showing beneath his mustache.

"Is everything ready?"

Leo nodded and slowly rose from his seat. He moved towards the bookshelf and pushed one of the books further into the wall. Something clicked and Lionheart stepped back. The shelf slid to the side, revealing a secret hallway that lead further into the wall. Watts pushed Leo inside and followed him in. The winding hall ended at a circular room where a Seer was waiting for them.

"M-milady, are you there?"

The red mist inside the Seer's head began to shift, displaying an image of Salem and Cinder Fall inside of the castle meeting room.

"Good evening, Leonardo." Salem greeted. "I was told that you have important information to share with me."

Lionheart cleared his throat and took a breath. Though that didn't stop him from shaking. "Y-yes, Your Grace. Very important. I would not contact you if I didn't."

"I must say this creature is quite fascinating." Watts tapped the top of the Seer. "How is our picture, Cinder? Can you see us? Just nod if yes."

"Quiet." Cinder sneered.

"Oh joy." Watts drawled. "You've gotten better."

"Enough." Salem commanded. "Leonardo, what do you have to report?"

"O-of course! The Spring Maiden…I-I've found out where she is."

"You have?" She looked to Watts. "Congrats are in order, Arthur. I'm honestly surprised at how quickly you were able to get results. I should have sent you sooner."

"As much as I'd like to take credit, I'm afraid neither of us were included in this discovery, milady. A little **birdie** told us."

Salem looked to Lionheart, her icy glare prompting him to elaborate on what Watts said.

"Well…you see…" the headmaster stammered. "Qrow Branwen arrived here earlier today and told me. He seems **very** sure that Spring is in the hands of his sister and her tribe."

"Were **they** with him?" Cinder asked.

"Ruby Rose, yes. But Pyrrha Nikos wasn't. I'm not sure where she was at the time."

"Do you know the location of the tribe?" Salem asked.

"I-I do. Qrow showed me a map. I have it downloaded and ready to send."

"Good. Cinder you and your team will visit Raven along with Watts and **persuade** her to join our cause for the sake of her tribe's survival. Once Spring is within our control, bring her to the relic and get in touch with Hazel. After that we will fulfill our promise to the White Fang and allow them to lay waste to Haven." She looked to Watts. "Arthur."

"Yes, ma'am. I will meet them and-"

"No. Before that you will return here. There is work for to do."

"May I ask what kind?"

"Tyrian needs a new tail."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "What of his old one?"

"Need I explain."

"No I understand." He sighed. "The silver-eyed girl."

"That is not all. Fafnir's pet also needs treatment. Then there is the matter of Fafnir himself. He requires…rehabilitation."

Watts let loose a dark smirk. "I will return as soon as I can."

"See that you do."

With a wave of Salem's hand the image of Watts and Lionheart disappeared from the Seer. As the creature floated away, Salem noticed the grimace on Cinder's face.

"You may speak."

"I don't understand. Working with bandits? Allowing Ruby Rose to live? We are more than strong enough to take both Spring and the relic by force. Why are we waiting?"

Salem grinned. "I know you are anxious, but what have I always told you?"

Cinder sighed. "Patience is its own reward."

"That is right. There is no need for us to rush. Ozpin and I have been playing this game of chess since before the creation of the kingdoms, and we are finally reaching the climax. Do not lose heart, the power I promised you will be given, but there is still work to be done before we proceed to the endgame. Is that all?"

"Pyrrha Nikos...I can **feel** her." Cinder looked down at her hand. "She gets stronger every day. If this keeps up…"

"Will her power eclipse yours?" Salem asked.

Cinder looked to her master, her eyes burning with power. "No."

"Good." Salem rose from her seat. "I am going to see Natsu. Since Qrow and the others figured out he was alive earlier than we expected, but it's nothing I didn't plan for. If anything that knowledge gives us an advantage. Tell Tyrian to meet me back here within the hour. There is something I wish to speak with him about."

Cinder bowed her head as her master left the room.

* * *

Natsu sat against the wall of his cell, his eyes listlessly resting on the cracked moon outside of his cells barred window. After hours of trying to break the chains, he finally gave up for the night. Or was it day? It was impossible to tell since the sky was always red.

 _"My arrow pierced your heart...you died right before my eyes."_

Cinder hadn't come back since their initial conversation, but her words replayed themselves over and over again as if she were still there. No matter how much he tried to tell himself otherwise, he couldn't deny all of the changes. Cinder wasn't the type to drastically change her appearance for the sake of a simple lie. There was also the fact that his heart had indeed stopped.

Nothing made sense. If he really died how could he be here now? Was he dreaming? Or was he really revived? And where were his friends? Were they in the same situation he was in? Or did they make it out.

 _"They left you to rot."_

That wasn't true. If they knew he was alive, they would do everything they could to get him back. Wouldn't they? The only explanation was that they didn't know where he was. What if they were looking for him right now? He had no idea what was real or fake anymore, but there was one thing he knew.

He had to find a way out.

* * *

 **Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a good day and to end it here is the first chapter for volume five of Misplaced!**

 **I know it took a while, so as compensation I made this a double chapter. Hopefully you all enjoyed it.**

 **We never got an introduction (or even a real mention of) Pyrrha's parents, so I thought about introducing her mother in this chapter. For those who don't know her name is the name of the mother of Achilles (which is who Pyrrha is based on), same with her father and his name. Will she appear again in the story? Possibly. You'll just have to wait and see. Natsu is also fully awake now, so we'll see where that goes.**

 **I also tried to give Cinder a bit more dichotomy. When she's around Salem and her goons she's as calm as ever, but around Natsu she's just a bit unstable (which was only made worse after the Fall), saying and doing things she wouldn't normally do. Being a Maiden in love in no joke (see what I did there?). We'll just have to see how far down the hole she will go.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	58. Shackles of the Mind

The meter stopped running by the time Yang finished her stretches. Riding Bumblebee so long was starting to make her butt and legs numb. She had been riding for a couple of days, stopping at a small village inn to rest. She didn't have much longer now. According to the innkeeper, she was only about half a day's ride from the city of Mistral. Soon she would be able to see her sister again…and give her a piece of her mind for leaving home.

She took a look at the letter Ruby had sent home. It had been opened and closed so much that the ink was starting to fade. Every time she focused on one line:

 **Natsu is alive.**

No matter how many times Yang read that statement she couldn't wrap her head around it. Ruby had to be dreaming. Dead people don't come back to life. It was impossible. At least that was what she thought. Her views on possible and impossible had been thoroughly challenged over the past number of months.

She could still remember when she was first told the news of Natsu's death by Qrow. She didn't even react. She couldn't. She had been rendered so numb by the loss of her arm, the destruction of the school, and the splintering of her team that Natsu's death was just another weight on her crushed heart. Though she could clearly recall a single tear being shed.

If he was really alive…she didn't know how to react upon seeing him. She'd be happy of course, but that was just a guess based on surface feelings. Zombies weren't really something she put much stock in growing up.

She folded the letter and put it back in her bag, ready for the next time she had to read it, and went into the store. Inside was a bar, complete with a mustached bartender cleaning a glass. She huffed in amusement. This was the third time she had something like this in Mistral. Drinking must have been a national pastime.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking, missy?" the bartender asked as he inspected the glass in his hands for any unsightly spots.

"Depends, what's the legal age?"

"20." He answered flat.

"Then I'll just have a water. It's hot outside."

"One water coming up."

As the bartender left to prepare Yang the finest water a plastic bottle could provide, the blonde heard drunken laughter coming from a couple seats away.

"Too young to drink? That's a shame. You look pretty grown up to me." The man's lecherous eyes trailed up from the girl's legs to her chest. "A woman in all the right places."

Yang rolled her eyes. She had been hit on plenty of times when she visited Junior's club back in Vale. Normally she'd offer them a punch to the face for their troubles, but this was slightly different. She was in a new country, and the last thing she wanted was to go to a Mistrian jail before finding Ruby. As long as the drunk kept his distance, they wouldn't have any trouble. Unfortunately fate had a funny way of making itself known.

"I'm serious. You're a real beauty." He steadily approached, his breath reeking of the liquor he had finishing shoving in his face. "Not too big. Not too small. You're-"

"Just right." Yang faked a laugh. That pun of using the shop's name was even too painful for her. "I'm sure you're a **real** charmer when the booze kicks in, but I'm fine. Just want to have my drink in peace."

"Don't be like that. I just wanna to get to know you a little better." He caught a glimpse of her hair. "Wow. Your hair is so silky. It looks like gold."

He made his last mistake the moment he reached for Yang's head. She grabbed his wrist before he would touch a single strand. Her patience having finally bottomed out, her eyes flashed red and she buried her metal prosthetic in his cheek.

A tooth flew out of the drunk's mouth as he bounced off the floor and out of the shop. The force of the punch was even enough to flip the open sign on the door around to closed. The bartender placed a cold glass of water in front of Yang. A smile on his face.

"On the house. That guy's been terrible for business lately."

"Thanks."

When Yang reached for the glass with her left hand it started to tremble. She'd lost control again; another "temper tantrum" as her father called it. She steadied her arm with her prosthetic and grabbed the glass, downing the water in one go.

"What brings you out-"

Yang stopped the bartender by raising a finger as she finished her drink. A motion she saw Qrow do many times when he was emptying out his favorite flask. She let out a relaxed breath when she was done.

"Sorry. You were saying?"

"I was wondering what a girl like you was doing out in these parts. Not everyday someone so young is travelling these roads alone."

"I'm looking for someone."

The bartender chuckled. "Ain't much to find. Only people who come through here are bandits and such. Place is too far out for any folks to visit from the Kingdoms. Hell, only person crazy enough to live out in these parts is-"

"Raven Branwen?"

The bartender was stunned. "Y-yeah. How do you-"

"Relax. I'm not a bandit. An innkeeper told me about it. There was also that very 'intimidating' sign a few miles back. Thanks for the drink."

"H-hold on there, girl!" the bartender called as Yang left the bar. "You shouldn't be getting involved with the Tribe. They're nothing but trouble."

"So I've heard, but you know what they say…" she winked at him over the rim of her sunglasses. "Trouble is a girl's best friend."

When Yang was outside she could hear the drunk from earlier groaning in pain. She paid him no mind and got on Bumblebee.

"Hey, blondie!"

Yang rolled her eyes and started the engine.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"If you want to keep the rest of your teeth, I suggest you **stop** talking to me."

The man flashed her grin, his front tooth clearly missing. "I couldn't help but overhear that you were **looking** for someone."

* * *

The growling of Natsu's stomach woke him up from his impromptu slumber. After desperately looking for a way out of his cell for the umpteenth time, he eventually collapsed due to exhaustion. Now that he was awake, the search. Going through the bars was impossible because of his shackled limbs. He thought of melting theme, but whatever the shackles were made of was preventing him using those weird flames of his. The walls were sealed tight with no gaps to speak of, not even air could be felt through the cracks. As for the window, even if he could somehow break the bars it was too small for him to get through and too high up to reach without a box or something similar.

He sat crossed-legged on the cold ground, his mind furiously pacing for a solution.

"There's gotta be some way to break outta here! Think!"

The door creaked open at the end of the hall. He had a visitor.

"Go away, Cinder. I said I didn't want to talk to you."

Since he had woken up in this cell Cinder visited him every day without fail. Even though he had no concept of time in this place, he somehow knew **when** Cinder would come to see him. He was silent the entire time she was there, but she didn't seem to mind. All she'd do on most visits was watch with a smile as he paced around the cell. Occasionally she would speak to him about her training, but he never replied. It was more than a little unsettling how dedicated she was.

As Natsu stood up to meet her he was surprised to see that it wasn't Cinder that came to see him, but Emerald Sustrai.

"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to talk to someone bringing you food?" Emerald held up a sandwich wrapped in plastic. Natsu's eyes narrowed in suspicion, prompting the thief to roll her eyes. "I didn't do anything to it. If you don't want to eat you can starve for all I care." She dropped it between the bars and stood against the wall, watching as Natsu carefully approached.

He sniffed it. The eggs and meat made his mouth water. In an instant he snatched it from the ground, hurriedly unwrapping the plastic before shoving the sandwich in his mouth.

Emerald chuckled. "You're like a wild animal."

Natsu ignored her and finished eating. The flavor wasn't anything special, but it was more than enough to quiet his stomach for the time being.

"You come here just to make fun of me?"

Emerald shrugged. "I could, but that would be hypocritical of me. I know what it's like to be locked in a cage."

"Then why don't you help me get out?"

"Nope. Salem says you stay in here until Watts comes back, and I am **not** going to disobey her. Besides even if I wanted to I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"I gave you a way out before, but you didn't want to listen. This is your own fault."

"How is this my fault?"

"You made that choice the moment you decided to fight at Beacon." Emerald replied.

"You wanted to just let my friends die?"

"Oh yes. Your precious 'friends'. Where are they now? Out there living their lives while you rot in a cage. If you ask me they couldn't care less about you."

"I'd rather be with them than stuck here with Cinder."

Emerald kicked the bars, sending Natsu flying back to the wall. "Don't you dare talk about Cinder that way! After everything she's done for you, you should be worshipping the ground she walks on."

"She killed me! She tried to kill my friends!"

"That was your fault!" Emerald said again. "I asked, practically begged, you to leave before things got worse, but you had to be the hero and stay behind! I hate guys like you. All that 'greater good' and 'justice' crap doesn't get you anywhere! It only makes you a martyr. Cinder is the reason you're even alive in the first place. You should be grateful."

Natsu held up his shackles, his glare focused on Emerald. "I'd rather be dead than locked up here like an animal."

"Too bad that's not your choice anymore." She backed away from the cage. "I'm leaving now. I only came to give you that sandwich because you punched out Mercury. "

As Emerald left Natsu behind, her mind wandered. Their conversation had dredged up painful memories for her.

A young man in a police uniform with a skin tone that matched hers, unlocked handcuffs around her wrists.

 _"You can't keep doing this, Em."_ He said. _"Next time it won't be **me** that catches you. Understand?"_

Emerald rubbed her wrists. "So stupid."

* * *

The main hall of the White Fang headquarters was vast. Expanding out for what seemed like forever, its deep red decorations instilled not only fear, but respect in those who entered. At the end of this massive space sat a woman on an ornate throne; two guards flanking her on each side.

Her skin was a beautiful deep brown, tiger ears twitched through her wild black hair. Her exposed arms also proudly showed tattoos resembling tiger stripes that started at her shoulders and stopped at her wrists. This was Sienna Khan. High Leader of the White Fang.

Before her knelt Adam Taurus, known criminal and one of the main forces behind the Fall of Beacon. After a long wait, he was finally granted an audience with Sienna to appeal his case. It was not going well.

"I will not repeat myself. For the last time, the White Fang will not move against Haven Academy."

Sienna Khan was a proud woman. Having grown up in the harshness of Vacuo most of her life, she was not afraid to do what needed to be done to survive. Her ascension to High Leader was a boon for many of the more aggressive members of the White Fang, but she was still a woman of principles.

"High Leader Khan, please allow me to-"

"The only thing I will allow you is a chance at forgiveness!" She interrupted. "Just what were you thinking with that stunt at Beacon?! Did you think you were somehow championing our people? Because the only thing I saw was foolish bravado and senseless violence. You are fortunate your punishment was not more severe. Just because I am **aware** of your status within our organization, that does not mean you are free to do as you please."

"I was simply following your example, High Leader."

Sienna raised a brow at this statement. "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"Strength and unwavering conviction. The humans have experienced that, just as we have, oh Leader."

"Don't turn this on me, Adam. I only suggested violence where it was deemed **necessary**. Our peace was a false one that only served to breed complacency and an acceptance of our circumstances. I challenged that ideal and would not allow the humans free reign to push us without retaliation. However, your actions crossed a line that does not follow that doctrine.

You **attacked** the Huntsman academies, **destroyed** the CCT, and made us **more** of a target than ever before! Your shortsightedness prevented you from seeing consequences of your actions. **You** are the reason humanity will be harder on us than before, and ironically this is because you chose to lay in bed with them. You sided with humans who we knew nothing of, and in turn they played you for a fool. How does that in any way exhibit strength?"

"Perhaps I can offer a different perspective." Adam rose to his feet, motioning towards the door. It opened and Hazel Rainart slowly walked towards the throne.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Sienna shot up from her seat, her guards pointing their weapons at the intruder.

The large man held up his hands in surrender. "Excuse my impudence. I mean you harm."

"Adam, you dare bring a human **here** of all places?! This is grounds for execution!"

"I implore you to listen to what he has to say, High Leader."

Hazel knelt before Sienna. "High Leader Khan, all I ask is for a moment of your time. There is no need for bloodshed today."

"I beg to differ." Sienna argued. "Your presence here only shortens your life."

"Then I will not waste a second more."

Sienna stared at Hazel for a moment. She had met many humans in her time, very few of them trustworthy, but she had a difficult time reading this man. Curious as to what he had to say she slowly sat back on her throne. With a raise of her hand the guards relaxed and returned to their positions.

"Speak quickly."

"Thank you, ma'am." Hazel stood up. "I understand that you don't like me. You don't have any reason to, but that's irrelevant if I produce favorable results."

"I highly doubt either of you are capable of producing 'favorable results' for me." Sienna retorted. "I want humanity to fear us and know that we demand respect, not start a war we cannot win!"

"But we **can** win." Adam ascended the stairs towards Sienna's throne. " **We're** the dominant species of this planet. We're **better** than humans. We have everything they do and more. Why should **we** be with ones made to kneel before **them**? If you ask me they don't deserve to breathe the same air as we do. They should be the one's serving us!"

Sienna could see Adam's smirk clearly under his mask. It troubled her.

"I grow weary of this conversation. Guards, take them away."

Sienna gave the order, but her men didn't move.

"Did you not hear me?! I said take them-"

"You were right, Sienna." Adam interjected. "My popularity **is** well regarded. I'm already seen as High Leader to those in Vale, and Mistral is slowly seeing things the same way."

From the main door came four armed soldiers, their weapons pointed to the throne as Sienna once rose to her feet. She was surrounded.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hazel demanded of Adam.

"I am doing what is necessary for the Faunus to survive. From now on **I** will be leading our people into the new era."

More soldiers entered the room with their weapons drawn. To Sienna's shock, her guards also turned their weapons on her. She glared at Adam.

"If think I will subjugate myself to you then you are-"

Sienna was stopped when Adam's blade pierced her abdomen. She looked down, seeing blood leaking from his blade to the floor. He pushed it in further.

"I am truly sorry, Sienna. Know that I will lead our people to a new future that you would be proud of."

"D…damn…you…"

Sienna used the last bit of her strength and reached out to Adam's face with her claws, but before she could touch him he swiftly removed his sword, sending her rolling down the stairs to ground before Hazel's feet. She laid motionless on the ground, her hand clutching her wound. Sienna Khan was dead.

"Make sure she receives a proper burial." Adam ordered as he cleaned his sword. "Everyone here will tell that she was killed by a human huntsman. Her final act as High Leader will be as a martyr for our cause."

"There was no need for that." Hazel growled. "No one needed to die."

"Salem was concerned about Sienna's cooperation, now she doesn't have to be. The methods themselves don't matter as long as the results are favorable. Isn't that what you said?"

"There was another way."

Adam sat on his new throne. "Maybe. But now we will never know."

As White Fang soldiers collected Sienna's body, Hazel noticed something odd about Sienna's corpse from the corner of his eye. He gave one last look to the new leader of the White Fang before leaving the throne room.

* * *

Weiss watched the floating islands pass from the cargo hold. It had been a whole day since they received the distress signal and she still had yet to get over her guilt. Part of her knew the pilot was right about continuing on their own journey, but she could stop thinking about those people they could have saved. It was the job of Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect people. They were charged with the extermination of Grimm. But she sat back and listened to people cry for help without so as much as a word and was ashamed. She should have pushed harder. She should have demanded the pilot turn around and help those people, but she didn't. All she could do was wait for the ship to land in Mistral.

"We're passing through the islands. Gonna be a little turbulence so hang tight."

The pilot's voice echoed over the intercom, but Weiss was only half listening. In the midst of her musings, her indolent eyes quickly came to life at the sight of another airship. It was on fire, the smoke trail painting the air behind it as it struggled to stay afloat. If that wasn't enough, the damaged ship was heading right for them! Weiss rushed into the cockpit.

"Evade! Now!"

"What are you-whoa!"

The pilot saw the flaming ship rocketing towards them and yanked wheel towards him, forcing the ship up to avoid collision. The damaged ship crashed into one of the floating islands, the explosion echoing through the air.

"The hell was that?!"

Weiss turned on the radio.

"Hey don't-"

"We just lost Percy!" screamed a frantic voice. "Someone help!"

Another ship appeared, this one pursued by a swarm of wasp-like Grimm. The creatures' stingers shot from their abdomens, catching in the sides of the ship to keep it from escaping.

"We're caught! Abandon ship! Abandon-"

Before the transmission could finish, the ship was destroyed when one of the Grimm dive bombed into it. The pilot and her passengers perished in the explosion. Weiss was horrified at the sight, but the pilot was more focused on the monsters, for not their attention was now on the cargo ship.

"Dammit! Why did it have to be Lancers?! Hang on, kid! We're-" He turned to Weiss, seeing that she had already returned to the cargo hold. "What are you trying to do?" he asked over the intercom.

"Save our lives. How much dust are you carrying right now?"

"Officially, none. Unofficially, around a ton."

"Good enough." Weiss opened the nearest container and loaded Myrtenaster with one of each color crystal. "On my say, open the door."

"Then you better hurry up!"

The pilot did his best to outmaneuver the Lancers, but they were steadily closing in. Once they were in range they began firing their stingers just as they did the ship before them. One scrapped against the side of the ship.

"Kid!"

"Now!"

Weiss held her feet to the floor with a black glyph as the cargo door opened. The wind rushing against her face she also saw the Lancers position themselves to attack. Weiss began firing round after round of dust from Myrtenaster, killing one of the creatures.

"Hang on!"

The pilot took a sharp right, continuing to evade as Weiss took down five more Lancers. She was prepared to finish off the last few when the ship violently rocked.

"What's going on?!"

"They got us! We're hooked!"

Sure enough two stingers were caught in the top of the cargo ship. More Lancers swarmed.

"This is gonna be tight! Hold on to something!"

The pilot punched the engine and the ship raced towards the nearest floating island. Just before impact the ship nosedived, throwing the lancers hooked onto the ship into the island.

"Got 'em!"

This maneuver gave Weiss an idea.

"Are there any islands we can fit between?"

The pilot smirked. "You just read my mind!"

Weiss let loose more fireballs as the ship passed through two closely grouped islands, the debris killing the last of the Lancers on their tail.

"We did it! Nice going, kid!"

Before Weiss could revel in their victory, a Lancer more than twice the size of the others was fast approaching from the islands.

"What is that?!"

The pilot saw the monster from the rear camera in the cock pit. "Crap! It's the Queen!"

The Queen Lancer launched multiple projectiles from its abdomen at the ship. Weiss managed to protect herself with a glyph, but the ship was damaged in the process. The pilot tried his best to stabilize the craft.

"We can't take much more of this! If you have any other tricks do them now!"

Weiss sent a number of dust crates at the Queen, but they had no effect.

"There's the shoreline!" shouted the pilot. "We won't make it!"

Weiss took a deep breath.

 _"Focus on your fallen enemies. The ones who tested you. The ones who made you into the person you are now. Have them come to your side."_

Winter's words strong in her mind, Weiss summoned her Arma Gigas.

"Pull up!"

The ship soared higher before turning upside down. The Arma Gigas fell from cargo, it's sword at its side. It sliced cleanly through the Queen, killing it in an instant. This was the last gasp for the ship. The damage from the battle was too much for it to bear and the systems had finally given out.

"Hang on! We're going down!"

The ship fell towards the ground like a comet. Weiss tried to slow the descent with her glyphs, but it wasn't enough.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact. The last sound she heard was the ship crashing into the dirt.

* * *

The slow crackling of fire brought Weiss back into consciousness. As her vision cleared she could see parts of the cargo ship and broken trees strewn all about her. They had crashed in the middle of a forest.

She tried to stand and immediately felt a pain in her left leg that made her fall over. There was a deep gash on her calf from the crash. Knowing she couldn't stay where she was, she used Myrtenaster as a cane to prop herself up.

"The pilot…where is the…" she saw a body lying next to the wreckage of the cargo hold. It was burned beyond recognition, but Weiss could tell without a hint of doubt that it was indeed the body of the pilot. She bowed her head in shame.

"I'm so sorry."

She continued on. She had to find help or she wouldn't make it through the night. She made it a couple of more steps before collapsing.

"I can't…stop. I have to…find help…" she desperately crawled along the ground. "I have to find…Natsu…" Her eyes were starting to get blurry again. She was losing too much blood. Any longer and she would pass out.

Footsteps approached the heiress. Two men. Both of them carrying rifles.

"Please…help…" she was much too tired and weak to care about their identities. All that mattered was their aid.

"What do we do with her?" One of the men asked.

A woman with long black hair and wearing a white and red Grimm's mask walked in between the two men. Her piercing red eyes stared a hole in the heiress.

"Take her. She might prove useful."

As the woman walked away the men reached down to Weiss, and everything went dark.

* * *

 **New chapter!**

 **I wanted to give Emerald a little bit of depth here since it seemed like she was the only one out of Cinder's group with a semblance of a conscience. That will get expanded on a bit later.**

 **I might be in the minority here, but was anyone else upset at how they just offed Sienna Khan the way they did? I mean did we really need another reason to illustrate how "evil" Adam is? They could have locked her away in a cell and it would have been fine. Instead they just killed her off. Not only did she have one of the cooler Faunus designs (in my opinion) she was also voiced by Monica Rial! You don't just waste a Monica Rial like that RT. Shame on you. I haven't seen such a blatant misuse of vocal talent since Funimation cast Cristina Vee as forgettable female villain in number 3 in the Dragon Cry movie (but that's a story for another time).**

 **One last thing, I've seen the final episode for this volume and to be honest it was a little underwhelming, in fact the last two episode have been underwhelming. Maybe my expectations were too high. Wouldn't be the first time.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	59. Underneath the Surface

"So you're Professor Ozpin?"

"Yes."

"Headmaster of Beacon?"

"…Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Ruby and Team JNPR sat unconvinced as they stared at one Oscar Pine. A little over a day ago he came to their doorstep with a drunken Qrow in tow who loudly proclaimed him to be the deceased Professor Ozpin. Suffice to say this was hard to believe. Even with everything they had seen in the past few months. They huddled together.

"Maybe he's aged backwards." Nora offered. "Like the guy in that movie."

"Or he's possessed?" proposed Jaune.

"Reincarnation is another possibility." Said Ren.

"Well if Natsu was somehow able to come back to life then perhaps Professor Ozpin has as well." Reasoned Pyrrha.

"Yeah but…" Ruby looked to Oscar, who smiled awkwardly at her from his seat. "It's still weird though."

"Alright that's enough conspiracy theories for one day. You kids are giving me a headache." Qrow came out of the kitchen with a cup in hand. Unsurprisingly it was filled with coffee. He had to nurse his hangover somehow. "Let's just relax. This is a shock for everyone."

Ruby and the others broke their huddle and Qrow sat down next to Oscar. The girls sat on the couch, but the boys remained standing. Oscar nervously looked around at everyone, when his eyes fell to Ruby she giggled. Flustered, he looked away with a blush.

"I didn't mean to stare. I've just…I've never met Huntsmen or Huntresses before."

"That's ok. We've never met a person with two souls before." Ruby replied. "So…we all met someone new today."

Oscar was slightly taken aback by Ruby's upbeat attitude. As he said he had never met Huntsmen, but he had heard and read plenty of stories about them when he was younger. He pictured stalwart heroes with gruff exteriors and heroic auras…but instead what he found was a group of teenagers barely older than he was. Even Qrow was a shock. While he fit the age of what Oscar pictured a Huntsman to be…his drinking habit didn't exactly paint him in a respectable light.

"Hate to end the introductions, but we kinda gotta schedule to keep." He looked to Oscar. "Hit 'em, kid."

The young man groaned. "Fine."

He lowered his head and closed his eyes, prompting Ruby and friends to cast looks of confusion his way once again. He was still for nearly a minute, then a green and white aura quickly sparked around his body. The air itself seemed to shift when Oscar opened his eyes again. He smiled as he spoke, his voice reverberating from his throat as a familiar timbre reached the ears of the students.

"Hello, students. It is good to see you again."

"Wait. Hold on." Said Jaune. "What just happened?"

"Professor…Ozpin?" Ren uttered.

Pyrrha was in complete shock as well. "It can't be…"

Ozpin nodded. "It is."

"But how?" asked Ruby.

"It's a little complicated, but I suppose one way to explain it would be that this body is a car and I have taken the wheel. Oscar is still here mentally though, so he will be able to hear everything we say."

 _You really couldn't think of a better metaphor?_ Oscar complained. _And please don't do anything embarrassing._

"Ok I'm still lost." Voiced Nora. "Anyone else lost? It's not just me right?"

Ozpin's smile slowly dropped into a solemn frown and he bowed his head before his students.

"All of you have been through such hardship, experienced things that you never should have. All because of my actions. For that I apologize."

"It's ok." Ruby assured. "It's not like you could have known what was going to happen to the school."

"I should have anticipated, but my hubris got the best of me. When I told you about the gravity of the mistakes I've made that was no mere exaggeration. For lack of a better word I am…cursed."

"Cursed how?" prompted Pyrrha.

Qrow briefly left the conversation, returning with a fresh cup of coffee from the kitchen to give to Ozpin.

"Thank you, Qrow." Ozpin took a sip before answering Pyrrha's question. "For thousands of years, long before even your parents and grandparents were born, I've travelled the planet. I've lived, died, found love, lost it, and have done things that would make you all question everything I've ever told you. With each death I am reincarnated within the body of a like-minded soul. The version of me that you all knew while attending Beacon was not my first form, and I am sure even this body will not be my last. As you can imagine it's a very taxing process on all involved."

"So…just what **are** you exactly?" asked Jaune.

"Put simply I am a combination of men who've spent their lives protecting the people of this planet. Through every rebirth my soul merges with the next vessel and I myself am changed. Though the memories of that past life stay with me." Ozpin looked down to his-to **Oscar's** hands. "This is penance for my failure to stop Salem. But that is irrelevant, for we must stop her **now**."

"…How do we do that?" Ruby asked.

"The first thing we do is secure the Relic of Knowledge. Everything else is secondary."

"Then we're good!" Nora exclaimed. "If we bring little cutie Ozpin to Lionheart then he'll **have** to give us the relic!"

"I would prefer it if you **didn't** call me that, Ms. Valkyrie."

"Besides, that's probably not the best idea." Qrow interjected. "You saw Leo back there. He didn't exactly look willing to just hand us the thing if we asked."

"I don't understand." Ren voiced. "I thought the other Headmasters followed **under** you."

"That was my original intention." Ozpin said. "They were supposed to be four lieutenants I could trust to handle things during my reincarnations, but Qrow informed me of your meeting with Leonardo…not going as planned to put it midly. Not only is he behaving irrationally, he is ignoring instructions directly given to him **by** me. It's certainly disconcerting."

"What do you think is going on with him?" questioned Pyrrha.

"I'm not entirely sure. I'd rather not jump to conclusions, but it would be foolish to rule out any possibilities. One thing is for sure, no one outside of this room knows of my pairing with Oscar. It would be best if we kept it that way."

Everyone in the room agreed with a nod.

"We currently have two paths ahead of us. The first is recruiting more Huntsmen to our cause."

"I can write up a list." Qrow volunteered.

"Thank you, Qrow."

"No problem." He propped his legs up on the table. Immediately one of the legs broke, spilling his coffee onto the floor. "Great." Nora snickered as he started to clean the mess.

"As Qrow secures us aid we can move forward with step two."

"And that is?" Jaune prompted.

Ozpin spun his cane around in his hands, amazing the kids. "Preparing you all for the battle ahead."

Ruby and JNPR were confused by this answer to say the least.

"But…we know how to fight already." Ruby said. She was quickly startled by Ozpin pointing his cane at her.

"You are formidable while **Crescent Rose** is in your hands, yes, but you are severely lacking when it comes to hand to hand combat."

Ruby laughed nervously. Both Yang and her father had told her the same thing numerous times. Even Natsu had mentioned it once when they sparred.

"Mr. Arc." Ozpin pointed to Jaune next. "I am happy you are improving, but you still have a long way to go. Your Semblance is still a mystery, and frankly you rely on Ms. Nikos a bit **too** much."

Jaune's head sunk into his lap. He couldn't argue with the truth. "Yeah…"

"It's alright." Pyrrha comforted with a pat on the back.

"You, Ms. Nikos are still frightened of your Maiden abilities. If you want to have any chance against Cinder you must overcome that handicap."

"Y-yes, sir."

Nora stifled her laughter. "He's really letting them have it."

"Don't think I've forgotten about you, Ms. Valkyrie. Your power is great but you lack refinement. You cause more destruction to yourself and others than the enemy, and as for Mr. Ren, you are quite skilled but in terms of stamina you are far behind the rest. That will only become a liability later on."

"Don't you think you're laying it on a little thick, Oz?" Qrow asked.

"I apologize, but it can't be helped. They are still far from ready to face Salem and her forces. Though they shouldn't lose heart. Learning and growing is what were put on this planet to do, and I am no exception to that. Oscar will need to strengthen his body and Aura as well in the days to come as well."

 _Wait. I what?_

"Eventually muscle memory will allow him to do what I could, but training will only help along the process."

"Hold on." Ruby spoke up. "If Uncle Qrow is looking for Huntsmen, then who is going to train us?"

Ozpin flipped onto the seat of the armchair with a confident grin on his face. "I thought that much was obvious. I wasn't Headmaster of Beacon for just my intelligence you know. We have one month before Haven resumes classes. That doesn't give us much time, and if I were Salem I would more than likely launch the attack before then. So expect our training to be a rigorous one. Now does anyone have any more questions before I depart for the evening?"

Pyrrha raised her hand. "Yes, sir. What will we do about Natsu?"

The question hung in the air for a moment. Frankly everyone wondered why it wasn't asked sooner. With Ozpin on their side, surely they would be able to bring Natsu back from the darkness. At least that was what they hoped would happen.

Ozpin lowered his head. "I'm sorry, but at the moment there is nothing I can do for him."

"What do you mean you can't do anything?" Jaune interjected. "You fought this Salem person right? If she's got Natsu can't we just go and bring him back?"

"It's not that simple. Not only do I **not** know where Salem is currently hiding, but as I said before none of you are ready to face her. That includes myself. An attack would only amount to suicide."

"Besides, there's a good chance that the Natsu you knew is gone for good." Said Qrow. "Who knows what Salem did to him?"

"I don't believe that." Pyrrha argued quickly. "I saw it in Kuroyuri. The look in his eyes. He's in there somewhere. I know he is."

"Don't worry, Ms. Nikos. If Natsu is as important to Salem as I think he is she won't hurt him. Our best course of action is to wait until the attack on Haven to make our move. Now if you'll excuse me."

Ozpin's body started to glow.

"Wait, Professor!" Ruby called out. "What did you mean by-"

Before she could finish her question, Oscar was back in control.

"Sorry." He apologized. "He's resting right now. He'll be out for a while."

Ruby sighed and sat back down. She looked to Pyrrha, whose bangs were covering the sorrowful expression on her face.

* * *

Blake watched her father pace back and forth in the study, mumbling to himself as he stared through his glasses at the piece of paper in his hands. He had been doing this for well over two hours. In a few moments he was to give a speech to all the Faunus in Menagerie. It was something he had done countless times before since becoming chieftain, but this speech was not like the ones before it. Before it was just a announcement of new policy or celebratory words, now he was essentially giving a call to the arms against the White Fang. There was no guarantee of success, but he felt he had to try anyway.

He finally stopped his pacing and took a breath as he looked to the speech one last time. His wife placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Ready?" she asked.

He nodded. "As I'll ever be I suppose. This will be quite difficult for the people to hear, but then again the truth often is. I just hope they will do the right thing."

Kali smiled. "Have faith in them, dear. I'm sure they will in the end."

Blake rose from the couch and also offered her father a reassuring hand. "I hope so too."

"We're right here with you, Mr. B." Neon smiled.

"Thank you, Neon." He returned.

"Yeah. You got this."

Ghira's smiled morphed into a scowl the moment he looked to Sun. The monkey boy took a step back, his nervous laugh the only keeping him from cowering in fear.

Once Ghira's nerves were finally settled, he took another deep breath and stepped out of the house, his family, Neon, and Sun close behind. Gathered outside the Belladonna home was a large group of Faunus from all over the island. Some were civilians. Others members of the press. The Albain brothers had a made an appearance as well, something that did not go unnoticed by the Belladonna's. Also in attendance was Saber Rodentia, leader of Menagerie's elite guard, as well as a few of his men. Ghira had personally asked him to attend in the event something unsavory happened.

The chieftain could hear the murmurs among the crowd as he stepped towards the podium. It only made sense they were confused, this meeting had been abruptly called only two days prior. He raised his hand, silencing the crowd so he could properly begin his speech.

"First, I'd like to thank you all for coming. I realize that this was on such short notice, but I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to attend. I'm sure you are all wondering just **what** I called this assembly for. It's no secret that there have been a bevy of unsavory rumors making rounds around the island, and I wanted to address them directly because I believe it is **imperative** that the people of Menagerie understand the **truth**.

No matter our feelings on the human race, I think we are all in agreement that the Fall of Beacon was a tragedy. Not only was it a horrible event that should have never been allowed to occur, but it also sent man and Faunus relations nearly back to start."

His gaze fell to the Albains, who remained calm and collected.

"While the orchestrator of the attack remains a mystery, we have received confirmation that **Adam Taurus** , leader of a powerful splinter group within the White Fang, was a vital part of the attack. His actions not only disgraced the face of an organization originally intended to bring peace and equality to all races, he has also disgraced us as a people. Each day his actions go unpunished is another day that we are condemned by those that would do us harm."

The murmurs began to rise amongst the crowd once more, but just like before Ghira silenced them with a raise of his hand.

"Recently a spy from that splinter group invaded my home." He continued. "My daughter, Blake, and her friends tried their best to capture them, but were unsuccessful due to being physically assaulted and injured. However," He reached into his pocket and pulled out Ilia's scroll. "They were able to obtain the spy's scroll. Thanks to their efforts we have been able to glean that Adam plans on **usurping** Sienna Khan and taking over the White Fang."

The murmurs returned a third time, but now they were coated with a dense feeling of fear.

"That is not all. We looked further and learned that his **next** target appears to be Haven Academy as well as its CCT Tower. They plan on executing this attack roughly two months from now, on the night of the last full moon before the fall semester begins. I've sent my fastest messenger to Mistral to warn them of the situation, but a greater purpose lies before us.

As many of you may know, my relationship with the White Fang is…complicated at best. At one time I was its leader, with the hope I could create a better world for **all** of us. And while I firmly believe I was making great gains towards that goal, it was evident that those in and out of the White Fang believed I wasn't moving fast enough.

I stepped down, and Sienna took my place. While I don't condone most of her methods, I have always respected what she had fought for: equality for the Faunus. Adam Taurus does not share that same ideal. His methods benefit no one but himself, but now it's time we Faunus show the world that we are equal! It's past time we extinguish that splinter group and restore the White Fang to its former glory as a beacon of hope for our people!"

The crowd roared in agreement.

"The first thing we must do to achieve this goal is protect Haven Academy."

Just as quickly as the crowd came to life they quieted down, their reluctance showing on all of their faces. Ghira had anticipated this. Luckily, he had planned for it in advance.

"Before I continue, I think it's important that my daughter come forward and share **her** story. Not only was she a former member of the White Fang like myself, but she is also a survivor of the Fall."

Ghira stepped back, allowing Blake to stand at the podium. Part of her knew this was coming, but she still wasn't ready for it. She looked back to her family and friends. Her mother smiled, while Sun and Neon offered her a sincere thumbs up.

"You can do this." Whispered her Father.

She sighed and turned to the crowd. All of them were focused intently on her, waiting patiently for her to speak. It was at this moment she realized why she always kept to herself. She was never good with crowds.

"I-"

"You traitors!"

Blake was interrupted by a familiar – and angry – voice. A cloaked figure raced to the middle of the crowd, revealing themselves to be Ilia Amitola – now wearing her mask. Blake glared at her.

"Great." Sun grimaced.

"What's she doing here?" whispered Neon.

"After everything the humans have done to us; the suffering they made us endure, you want us to **help** them?!"

Ghira stepped forward. "I understand things have not been favorable-"

"That's an understatement! How did they help **us** when were forced to mine dust like slaves?! Where was **their** help when the kingdoms hunted us for sport?! Where were they when my **parents** were killed?!"

Blake could hear the pain echoing in Ilia's voice. It was impossible not to. It was like listening to child beg for help. It was almost enough to make her cry.

"You have to understand that change takes time and-"

"How can you say you want to help our people and then turn around and ask us to help the ones holding us down?!" She turned to the crowd, but also noticed that Sun and Neon were sneaking towards her. "If you all really want to help the Faunus, throw your support behind Adam, **not** the Belladonnas. **Adam's** way is the one that will bring the future we desperately want, and if you don't wish to fight we will do it for you!"

"That's enough!"

Sun and Neon leapt to Ilia, but she fled with the aid of her weapon.

"Don't let her get away!" Saber ordered. He and his men began their search for the spy.

"I'll help to!" Neon offered.

"Be careful!" Blake cautioned.

Neon nodded and sprinted into town, a rainbow trailing behind her.

As the press began swarming the podium with questions as to what just happened, the Albain brothers faded into the crowd with devilish grins painted on their faces. Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Weiss awoke with a sharp gasp, her eyes wide open. She tried to move, but her legs and wrists were bound. She was tied to a chair.

"Where…where am I? What's going on?""

There was a bed to her right, a small couch to her left, and a flap serving as a door directly in front of her. She looked up, seeing what appeared to be large wooden poles crossing above her. From the looks of it she was in a tent of some kind, but it was much more spacious and ornate than what she had seen before.

"You know, you talk a lot for someone who was unconscious for over a day."

A girl poured a cup of tea not far from Weiss. She had short, messy brown hair and a tattoo of a bird rising from a group of flowers on her arm. From the looks of her she was roughly the same age as Weiss. If not a little older.

"Who are you? Where am I and why am I tied up?" Weiss demanded as she struggled to free herself.

"Name's Vernal. You were brought here after your plane crashed in the forest. Gotta admit I never expected to see a **Schnee** end up **here** of all places. As for why you're tied up, you didn't really think we were dumb enough to let someone with a Semblance like yours run free did you?"

When Vernal brought the tea to Weiss' chair the heiress noticed Myrtenaster resting on her waist.

"What are you doing with my sword? Give it back this instant!"

"I really don't think you're in a position to be making demands. I'm not one of the slaves you keep in that pretty mansion of yours." Vernal smirked. "Besides, I kinda like this thing. So I'm going to borrow it for a bit."

Vernal placed the tea on the nightstand next to Weiss and reached for the knife she kept in her back pocket. Weiss winced a bit, thinking the knife was aimed at her throat. She breathed a sigh of relief when Vernal actually reached behind her.

"Now I'm going to cut these restraints on your arms and you're going to be a good girl and drink that tea until the Boss shows up." She whispered. "Don't try anything stupid. Otherwise you'll get your sword back in the most painful way possible. Do you understand me?"

Realizing she had no choice in the matter. Weiss nodded slowly.

"Good."

With a smile Vernal cut the ropes around Weiss' hands and handed her the cup of tea with a threatening smile. "Enjoy."

Weiss hesitantly sipped from the cup. Surprisingly it was very good. She was never really a fan of rose tea, but the way Vernal prepared it rivaled anything Klein or Emily could make. With her nerves somewhat settled she took time to properly look around at her new surroundings.

A small table with cushions in place of chairs, an old grandfather clock that wasn't in proper working order, flags of unknown origin hanging from the ceiling, and large leaves hanging on the wall. The final thing she saw was a map of the world handing over the bed. Whoever lived here was certainly well-travelled. It was almost enough to impress the heiress…if she wasn't being held hostage.

"You're awake."

A woman entered the tent. Weiss instantly recognized the mask she was wearing. It was the woman that she saw after the crash. Weiss' unease returned.

"Vernal, wait outside. I wish to speak with her alone."

"Are you sure?"

The woman shot her a look.

"Y-yes, ma'am." Vernal reluctantly accepted the order and left the tent, leaving Weiss and the mystery woman alone.

"W-what are you going to do to me?"

"That depends on you." The woman replied. "I only wish to talk, but if you are looking for a fight I will accommodate you."

Weiss shook her head in refusal of the second option. She could feel how powerful the woman was. Even with her weapon she wouldn't stand a much a chance.

"Then we will talk." The woman removed her mask and placed it on the bed.

When Weiss finally got a good look at the woman's face she was speechless. Aside from her black hair and eyes, she looked exactly like Yang.

"You're…"

"Raven Branwen." the woman introduced. " But judging by the look on your face, you already know who I am."

Weiss nodded. She remembered Ruby showing her a picture while they were still at Beacon depicting the woman with the rest of her team back when they attended the school. She remembered Yang mentioning once that it was her goal to meet her mother. Weiss never thought she would be the one to find her instead.

"Normally when we find trespassers on our land we lock them in a cell awaiting execution. You however, are a special case."

"Is it because of my family name?" Weiss presumed. "You plan to ransom me to my father? How cliché."

"I have no use for your father's ill-gotten money." Raven countered. "Though I am curious why an heiress to one of the largest corporations in all of Remnant would come alone to Mistral. You're a long way from home."

Weiss looked away in an attempt to appear confident. "I see no reason why I should tell you anything."

"I agree, but there are many methods I have at my disposal to make you talk." She removed her sword and examined it before pointing the tip to Weiss' throat. "Though I would much prefer you tell me of your own volition."

The heiress' heart raced as she stared at the point of Raven's blade. It was color of blood. Same as her eyes. She frightfully wondered just how many people had been slayed by the blade.

"Well?"

The blade inched closer.

"I came to search for my sister." Weiss answered quickly. Part of her was ashamed at how quickly she caved in, but she decided not to become the woman's next victim if she could help it. "She's in the Atlas military. I heard that they were deployed to Mistral."

Raven sheathed her sword, much to Weiss' relief.

"Winter Schnee. She's one of Ironwood's inner circle."

"You know her?"

"Not **intimately** , but we've crossed paths before." Raven looked down to her right hand. It was bandaged.

"What happened to your hand?"

"That is **not** your concern. Either way you're too late. All Atlas troops that had been sent to this area have since been called back due to Ironwood's closing of the borders. Your sister is no longer here. "

Weiss sat before Raven dumbfounded. Part of her anticipated this, especially since she'd heard of Ironwood's plans to close the borders the night she left. However, she didn't expect for the order to be carried out so soon.

"To be perfectly honest, I am surprised that you came this far for your sister. I would have thought you were coming to find Natsu Dragneel."

"How do you know about-" Weiss' eyes went wide. "Were you the one who took my brothers body?!" Immediately Weiss broke from the rest of her restraints and summoned her Arma Gigas. Its large blade was pointed directly at Raven's face. "Give him back! Right now!"

Raven remained calm. Her eyes never leaving Weiss.

"Did you not hear me?!"

Slowly Raven rose from her seat and approached the heiress.

"S-stay away from me!" Weiss stammered as she slowly backed away.

Raven's gaze quickly cut to the Arma Gigas – which was still pointing its sword at her. When she saw Weiss look back to the creature, Raven grabbed her by the arm and tossed her over her shoulder to the ground. The moment Weiss hit the floor the Arma Gigas disappeared. With one swift motion Raven grabbed her sword and held it to the heiress' throat.

"Your lack of focus will get you killed." she said. "You should return your ivory tower in Atlas before you end up like that pilot that brought you here."

Despite her position Weiss remained defiant. "Not...without...Natsu."

Raven's interest was slightly piqued by the heiress. She sheathed her sword and stood up, allowing Weiss to breathe again. "Natsu is not here. We did not take him."

"I don't believe you."

"Whether you believe me or not really makes no difference to me."

"Well if you didn't take him then who did? Was is that Cinder woman?"

Raven shook her head. "It was someone **much** more frighteningr"

"Stop talking in riddles! Where is my brother's body?!"

Weiss was on the verge of tears at this point. She had come so far, but she was still no closer to finding out what happened to Natsu. Seeing her resolve start to wane, Raven took pity on her.

"No one told you."

"Told me what?"

"Natsu...is alive."

Weiss' eyes went wide once. "He's…what? How is that-" she shook her head. "No. No. That's impossible. Y-You're lying. People don't come back from the dead. I saw my brother's body. I attended his funeral. I **know** he's gone! Now tell me the truth!"

"Believe what you want, but I have told you nothing but the truth since I arrived. Now if you'll excuse me I have important matters to attend to." She exited the tent.

"Wait!" Weiss ran after her, drawing the attention of the rest of the camp. "If Natsu really is alive - and I'm not saying I believe you - but if he is, how is that possible. And how do you know his real name?"

"We will prepare a tent for you to stay in for the night." Raven answered. "If you truly wish to hear the truth about your brother, then seek me out in the morning. Though you may not like what you hear."

With those final words Raven walked away, leaving a shocked Weiss in her wake.

* * *

"Oh man, I lost her!"

Neon's search for Ilia had brought her all the way to the outskirts of Kuo Kuana. For a while she was right on the chameleon girl's tail, but as soon as the sun started to set Ilia blended into the crowd of the marketplace using her abilities. As fast as she was, not even Neon could find someone she couldn't see.

"She could be **anywhere** on this island. Guess I'll go back to Blake's house and tell them what happened."

Neon started back for town proper when she noticed a light coming from the windows of a nearby hut.

"I didn't know people lived this far out."

Curious, Neon approached the hut, careful to not make a sound. When she peeked inside the open window she saw the Albain brothers talking to Ilia.

 _I found them!_

"Thank you for meeting with us, Sister Ilia." Said Fennec.

The chameleon girl knelt before the brothers. "How may I be of assistance?"

"There is no need for the formalities." Corsac dismissed. "Please stand."

Ilia did as she was asked.

"First, congratulations are in order for your excellent performance this morning. Your words clearly struck a chord with the crowd."

"It was nothing that special." Ilia denied. "I was just saying what I felt."

"And **that** honesty is exactly what makes you so valuable to our cause." Fennec said. "Your unwavering faith allows you to see just hypocritical the Belladonnas and their ilk really are. There is no way that **their** methods will guarantee piece for the Faunus."

Neon rolled her eyes. _Whatever._

Ilia bowed her head graciously. "Thank you, sir. Your words humble me."

"Praise isn't the only reason we called you here though." Said Corsac. "We also bring good news.

"What is it?"

"We've finally received word from our comrades in Mistral. The operation was success. Adam Taurus has finally claimed his rightful place as leader of the White Fang." Fennec revealed.

"…What about Sienna?"

"Buried…with honor." Corsac said as he and her brother bowed their heads in respect. "The other branches have all received the agreed upon story."

Ilia sighed. "I understand. It had to be done. We will never forget what she did for us."

Neon's eyes widened. _Adam Taurus… **killed** Sienna Khan?_ She nearly fell over from the shock.

"What's our next mission?"

"Since Adam has taken over we are currently experiencing a…transitional period of sorts." Fennec said.

"With that growth comes change." Added his brother. "With that in mind our objective for the time being is containment. With the CCT towers still inoperable we control the flow of information between the kingdoms."

"The news of Adam's ascension has yet to reach Menagerie's shores, but there is no doubt that the people of Kuo Kuana will react negatively when it does. Especially after the chieftain's lambasting of us."

Ilia bowed her head in shame. "Forgive me. It's **my** fault the Belladonna's have leverage over us in the first place."

"Focus on the future instead of past failures, young Ilia." Said Corsac. "We still have a chance at redemption."

"What do you need me to do?"

"The Belladonnas and their allies are the last remaining threat to the assault on Haven Academy." explained Fennec.

"As such…they must be effectively **silenced**." Finished his brother.

"S-silenced?" Ilia's voice wavered as her eyes briefly widened.

Corsac nodded. "It is unfortunate, but just like the late Sienna they stand in the way of **true** progress for our people."

"Normally we would never put such an enormous burden on one so young," Fennec confided. "But your relationship with their daughter makes you a key part of this operation."

"You mean Blake?"

"Rest assured no harm will come to her." Corsac said. "High Leader Taurus has specifically requested she be brought to him **alive**. Which means we cannot not risk having her present to defend her family."

"But the people of Menagerie will-"

"See just what happens when you speak ill of the White Fang. An example **must** be made." Corsac placed a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "It is a necessary sacrifice."

Neon slowly backed away from the window. _I have to tell the Belladonnas about this before-_ Suddenly she was knocked from the ledge. She landed on her arm with a hard thud, the impact also knocking her loopy for a moment.

"Ow~. What was that?"

Neon looked up and saw a young man with bat wings floating down to her. When the Albain brothers and Ilia peeked out of the window to find the source of the commotion Neon took off into the forest as fast as she could.

"Brother Yuma has returned." Said Fennec, looking at the young man that attacked Neon.

"It seems we have a spy as well." Added his brother as he watched Neon run away.

"I'll take care of her." Ilia blended into the darkness and gave chase.

Yuma started to leave as well, but the Albain brothers stopped him.

"What of Ghira's messenger?" Corsac asked.

"Buried at the bottom of the sea…along with his message." the young man answered.

The brothers smiled evilly at one another.

"Then all is well. Leave the intruder to Ilia and start preparations on the operation."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Neon ran as fast as she could through the dense forest. Her back and right arm were aching from the fall but she couldn't stop. The Blake and her family were in serious danger. She could see the lights of Kuo Kuana coming closer and closer.

 _If I can just get to the city I can-_

Just as she reached the tree line she was shocked in the back by Ilia's whip. She tripped over a stray root, careening into a nearby tree hard enough to knock her loopy for a second time. If her arm wasn't broken before, it certainly was now. When her vision cleared Ilia was standing over, her whip now in its blade form.

"I'm sorry, but I have no choice." said the spy. "You shouldn't have followed me here."

As Ilia readied herself to strike, an explosion of light erupted from Neon's body. The array of bright colors blinded Ilia, causing her body to frantically blend into the manic rainbow. When the light finally died down, Neon was gone. Ilia looked all over, but there was no sign of the girl anywhere.

"Dammit!"

* * *

"I'm going to look for her."

Blake headed for the door. She was stopped by her father.

"You can't. There is no telling what dangers await out there."

"We can't just leave Neon by herself. Something might happen to her."

"I understand your frustration, Blake, but after this morning's fiasco we can't recklessly rush into the night without some sort of plan. Please. Stay here."

"But-"

"I wouldn't worry about her too much." Sun interrupted. "She's pretty fast. If trouble finds her she can get away pretty quick. In fact she's probably on her way back right now."

A knock came from the door.

"See?" Sun grinned. "Am I right or am I right?"

Ghira rolled his eyes and opened the door. Immediately a beaten Neon fell into his arms. Her body was covered in dirt and there was dried blood on the back of her shirt. Her right was also heavily bruised at the elbow.

"Kali, hurry and call Doctor Ivory!"

"O-ok!" Kali rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the phone.

"What happened to her?!" Sun exclaimed.

Neon groaned, clutching her arm as intense pain constantly shot through her body like lightning.

"It's ok, sweetheart, we're here." Ghira comforted. "You're safe now. Can you tell us who did this to you? Was it the Albains?"

Blake was stunned for lack of a better word as she watched Neon writhe in pain. She didn't know what to say. The only thing she could focus on was the girl's battered body. For the briefest of moments she flashed back to seeing Yang in the same position during the Fall.

"Blake…"

The moment Neon called to her Blake snapped out of her trance and ran to her side.

"I'm right here."

"Trouble…" she winced. "Adam…"

"What about Adam? What happened?"

"Sienna Khan…danger…!" Neon's voice started to trail off. Within a few seconds she had passed out completely.

"Neon? Neon?! Stay with us!"

Kali saw the scene from the kitchen. "Please hurry, doctor!" she yelled into the phone.

"We have to move her. Help me, Wukong." Ghira and Sun quickly took Neon into the guest room and laid her on the bed. Blake meekly followed them, her eyes full of anger and frustration.

"Not again..."

* * *

Raven finished preparing her equipment as the sun started to rise over the camp. She normally didn't participate in supply runs, but she was feeling a bit restless after her confrontation with Weiss the previous day. Normally she wouldn't be so rattled over such a spoiled brat, but something about the heiress stuck with her. Perhaps it was the look in her eyes. No doubt something she picked up from being around Natsu and Yang for so long.

When she grabbed her mask and opened the flap of her tent she was slightly surprised to see that Weiss was blocking her path. Judging by the nervous look on her face she had been there for a little while.

"I-I want to know..." She looked up, her eyes full of slowly starting to show that same resolve had bothered Raven just hours ago.

Raven gave no response. Weiss steeled herself and spoke again.

"Tell me everything you know about my brother...please."

Raven looked to the rest of her tribe. They had all gathered outside and were staring at the pair with disdain as if they had broken some sort of unwritten law. To be more accurate they were staring at **Weiss** that way. Who was this outsider to demand something of their leader? It was unheard of. They were all expecting Raven to strike her down on the spot. However, that would not be the case.

"Vernal."

The girl stepped forward. "Yes, ma'am?"

"You will be in charge of today's mission." She briefly looked back down to Weiss. "I have another matter to attend to."

"But-"

"Is that a problem?"

"N-no, ma'am. It's not."

"Good." Raven walked back inside her tent. "Follow me."

The heiress did just that, the flap closing behind them.

* * *

 **New chapter! Took a little bit of time, but that's mostly because I'm fine tuning how I want to end this volume. I got a bunch of ideas and now I'm just narrowing down which ones I'm go to keep and which ones I'm going to chuck. In case you all haven't noticed I've changed the orders of certain events, some things that happened in later episodes are now happening earlier for the sake of pacing.**

 **One problem I had with volume 4 and 5 was that it felt like the timeline was mostly all over the place. We don't know that much about Remnant as far as the science of the planet goes so its kind of hard to tell how time zones work in relation to one another. So I just decided to try and make it one time scale. Might seem a bit wonky, but I think I'm handling it well. You all will let me know though.**

 **I changed up Weiss and Raven's conversation for obvious reasons as befitting the backstory I gave Raven. That will further come into play when Yang shows up later.**

 **As for Neon's little outburst. It was never explained what her Semblance really was so my idea was that she has a very luminous aura, so much so that it can be visibly seen at all times if you look hard enough. That's where the rainbow streaks come from, it's just her excess Aura being seen by other people. However she can do a few things with it. She can use it to increase her speed (which is how she normally uses it) or she can store the excess energy for a period of time and explode like a color bomb. Just something I thought of, let me know what you think.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**

 **Side Note: Ok all fixed now. Sorry about that, but just think of that as a preview of my other story Dungeons & Dragon (which you SHOULD be reading if you aren't already). Thanks for all of you who let me know. **


	60. Paved with Good Intentions

"You ever wonder where Grimm come from?"

"Sometimes."

The setting sun lit the sky on fire, it's orange hue cascading over the landscape, and bathing the entire land. On the edge of the Beacon Academy dock sat Ruby Rose and Natsu Schnee. Taking a break after a long day for the both of them.

Ruby had been with her team all day getting ready for the upcoming Vytal festival, while Natsu was stuck in remedial classes with Professor Goodwitch and Doctor Oobleck.

They happened to meet in the hall of the dormitory after Natsu's classes finished. On a whim Ruby asked if he wanted to get something to eat. This eventually led them to their current spot.

"Maybe they come from another planet!" Ruby exclaimed. "Or they're an experiment gone wrong!"

"What if they're demons?"

"Oh I never thought of that! People who've had their souls taken for doing bad stuff. It's right out of a storybook!"

"You really like those things."

"I sure do!" Ruby leaned back on her hands, her eyes resting on the golden horizon ahead. "They're the reason I became a Huntress. My mom and Yang used to read books like that to me when I was little. Stories about heroes saving people and beating monsters. I wanted to be just like them. That's not too silly is it?"

Natsu shrugged. "I don't think so." He leaned back on his elbows. "Sounds pretty cool to me."

Ruby blushed a bit. "You're just saying that. So why did you want to become a Huntsman, Natsu?"

"I don't really know." Natsu admitted. "I mean helping people is good and all, but I guess I mostly did it so I wouldn't have to stay at home."

"Was it really that bad?" Ruby had heard a few stories about the Schnee family home life from Weiss, but nothing too detailed. It wasn't something she enjoyed talking about. Not that she blamed her based on what she had heard so far.

"I guess not, but I was adopted so it wasn't like I really belonged there in the first place. Besides all that business stuff confuses me."

"Wait, you were adopted?"

Natsu turned to Ruby. Her eyes were wide with wonder. Clearly this was a huge revelation for her. Natsu on the other hand was confused.

"You didn't know that?"

Rubyl shook her head. "Nope. I really thought you and Weiss were brother and sister."

"We don't look alike at all." Natsu pulled on his bangs. "My hair is pink."

"My hair's different than Yang's." Ruby pointed out, pulling on her own dark strands. "And she's still my sister."

Natsu pondered this for a moment. "I guess you're right, but yeah I'm adopted."

"What were your **real** parents like?"

"I don't know." Natsu answered. "Everything is pretty hazy before I was adopted."

"Oh…" Ruby's looked down in guilt. "I'm sorry."

Natsu shrugged. "It's not a big deal. If I forgot them the memories probably weren't all that good."

Ruby couldn't help but feel sadder after Natsu said that. She could tell from the slight dip in his tone of voice that he really didn't feel that way. Part of him had to question why his real parents left him. There were times where she herself wondered why her own mom had to die. She decided to keep these concerns to herself.

"What were your parents like?" Natsu asked.

"My dad's a big goof, and he tells the worst jokes." Ruby started to smile. "He's a worrier too. When I told him I was coming to Beacon he almost passed out over the phone. If Yang wasn't here he probably would have tried to bring me back home by himself."

"What about your mom?"

Slowly Ruby's smile eroded. "…I don't remember much about her, but the memories I **do** have are good ones...I think. She was really nice, and beautiful. She'd also bake cookies for us every day. Probably wasn't the best thing to feed kids, but we still loved her for it. Yang called her 'Super Mom'." A tear dropped down the gir's cheek. "I miss her a lot."

Now it was Natsu's turn to feel guilty. "…Sorry for bringing it up."

Ruby wiped her face clean. "It's ok. It feels good talking about it with someone other than Yang. It's kinda like having an older brother."

"I'm not **that** much older than you."

"I know, but still. That's just the vibe I get. It's nice. I've never had a brother." She smiled at him. "Don't tell Weiss though. I think she'll get mad."

Natsu chuckled. "Secret's safe with me."

"Let's shake on it." Ruby extended her pinky. Natsu did the same and they shook, sealing the deal. "Now it's a promise…big bro."

"Natsu?"

The pair turned and saw Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald standing behind them. Natsu hopped to his feet.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

"Don't tell me you forgot already." Cinder said. "We were supposed to begin training for the tournament today."

"It was your idea for us to wait until you finished your make-up classes." Emerald reminded with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh crap! I **did** forget!"

"We figured that much." Sniped Mercury.

"We still have enough time left to spar a bit before curfew." Cinder told him. "It would still be best if we hurry though."

"Sorry, Ruby! I gotta go! See ya later!"

"Right. See ya."

Without a moment to lose Natsu sprinted for the nearest training field.

"Does he ever slow down?" Emerald sighed roughly.

"What's that saying about fools rushing in?" asked Mercury with a sly grin.

"Sorry for interrupting your conversation, Ruby Rose." Apologized Cinder with a bow of her head. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Yeah…you too."

Ruby felt a chill as she watched Cinder walk away. Something in her eyes rubbed Ruby the wrong way. That had been the case since they first met. She didn't think much of it at first, but that unease was growing.

"Maybe I'm just nervous about the tournament."

* * *

 _Faster! I have to move faster!_

Ruby could feel her body pulling itself apart the further she raced up Beacon Tower. The energy needed to use her Semblance was nearing it's limit. She had never moved this fast before. Weiss' glyphs had only brought her part of the way. She had to run the rest. Everything was blur the longer she moved. The debris falling around her seemingly stopped in midair. All of her muscles screamed in agony, but couldn't stop. Not until she reached the top.

She could see the edge. Unable to stop herself she overshot the roof just as her Semblance stopped working. She was moving so fast that her rose petals couldn't keep up.

She fired Crescent Rose, sending herself downward onto the roof. That's when she saw it.

An arrow black as the night sky above stuck out of Natsu's chest. He was lifeless in a crying Pyrrha's arms. Before them both stood Cinder Fall, Natsu's own teammate, with another arrow ready. This one was aimed for Pyrrha.

"You're the reason he died!" she screamed. "You will pay! All of you!"

Pyrrha saw Ruby out of the corner of her eye. "Ruby?! What are you doing here?!"

It took a moment for Ruby to answer. "I…" she looked down to Natsu. "What…what happened to Natsu…?"

Pyrrha's body tensed. "He-"

"Quiet!" Cinder's arrow shot through Pyrrha's arm. She turned to Ruby, her normally cold eyes aflame with anger and hate. "You will be next! All of your friends will die! All of you will pay for Natsu's death!"

Death

The word echoed over and over again in Ruby's head.

Death

Images of Penny's fading eyes broke to the forefront of Ruby's mind.

 **Death**

Her head started to throb. The pain was unbearable. It was as if her skull was being beaten with a hammer. The pain quickly spread to her eyes. An intense heat burned the back of her retinas. Unable to take the pain any longer she cried out.

A pure white light engulfed the entire tower.

* * *

Ruby awoke suddenly, her body covered in a cold sweat. She looked around her room. Nora and Pyrrha were still sleeping. She sighed with relief that she didn't wake them – though with Nora's snoring that was borderline impossible. She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.

So much had happened in the past few months that it was hard for her to keep up with it all.

First the attack on Beacon.

Then Natsu's death that he had somehow survived.

Finally there was the whole Professor Ozpin/Oscar debacle.

Ruby could feel her brain overheating. If she thought about it anymore she would no doubt pass out from the strain. She was never good with complicated things like resurrections and death. She splashed more water on her face.

The dreams she had were less nightmares and more memories. Some were about when she was a kid, but mostly they were of moments directly before or after the Fall. That conversation with Natsu was roughly a few days before the Vytal Festival began. His death was obviously during the end of the attack.

When Ruby thought about it more, that was the first time she and Natsu had spoken alone without any interruption since they both came to Beacon. As soon as the teams were formed they were doing their own things. The only times they would really talk were in a group with the others. Nonetheless his death hit her as hard as it had everyone else. There was no mistaking that.

She looked at her reflection in the foggy bathroom mirror. Silver eyes. The same as her mother's. Growing up Ruby found the color of them odd, but never really paid much attention to it until the night she met Professor Ozpin.

The event on top of Beacon Tower scared her more than anything. White hot power bursting up from beneath the surface like a volcano. Even now she had no idea how she did it. It just happened, and they haven't done anything like it since.

Qrow's explanation raised more fear than curiosity.

 _"Those born silver eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior…they were so powerful that even Grimm feared them. One look would strike the monsters down on the spot."_

Ruby didn't know how to feel about that. She thought she became a Huntress because she wanted to help people. She wanted to be like the heroes in stories, like her mother. But the revelation that she chose this life because of her eyes made her resolve waiver just a bit.

Were these eyes the reason she picked up Crescent Rose in the first place? Were they the reason her mother never came home? What would they mean for her? Would she end up like her mother as well?

There was a banging on the door.

"You almost done in there? **Some** of us would like to use the bathroom today."

The irritated voice belonged to Nora. She was as cranky in morning as she was energetic during the day.

"S-sorry! I'll be right out!"

Ruby splashed her face one last time.

* * *

"How much farther?"

"Just a little more."

Bumblebee zoomed through the forest on a path that strayed away from the normal villages. With the shady man from the bar as her all too eager passenger, Yang continued towards what he said was the the Branwen Tribe's camp.

Their journey had been somewhat of a long one, taking well over a day. When they stopped to rest, Yang set up a tent while the man was tied to a tree. Normally she would have left him stranded and kept on her way, but she unfortunately needed him to find out where her mother was hiding.

It was strange. Despite the fact she was seeing her mother for the first time in years, Yang felt nothing. No happiness. No sadness. Not even a shred of anger. There was nothing. Raven Branwen at this point was simply a means to an end.

"This should be the spot. Stop here."

At the man's request, Yang slowed Bumblebee to a stop in the middle of an open field. There was nothing even resembling a camp. It was more than a little suspicious to say the least.

"Wait here. I'll go make sure everything's clear."

When he was gone, Yang dismounted her bike. She had been riding for hours, she deserved a stretch. She took off her sunglasses, sleeve, and coattails and laid them on the seat of her bike. The moment she stretched her arm she heard a gun cock.

A shot rang out. Yang blocked with her prosthetic. She watched carefully as the man she brought returned through the bushes with more bandits. Six in total. Some carried rifles. Others wielded knives.

"It's almost sad that you fell for this." The man taunted. "I'd feel bad if you weren't so dumb."

Yang was surrounded, but by the look on her face she was mostly indifferent to it.

"This it?"

The man chuckled. "Yes it is, little lady. Well, not counting the camp back there."

Yang pointed behind him. "There?"

Confused, the man nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright." Yang stretched again, confusing the bandits even more.

"Now as pay back for this tooth of mine, we're taking your bike. And you-"

"Yeah. Yeah. I know the drill." Yang interrupted. She armed Ember Celica, as well as the gun in her prosthetic. She beckoned them to come over. "Come on. I don't have all day."

The man aimed his gun at her. "You cocky-get her!"

The bandits attacked. Their attacks were coordinated, but still much too sloppy to be of any real harm. Yang defeated the lot of them without breaking much of a sweat. In less than a minute only the Shady Man was left.

He fired his pistol at Yang's head, narrowly missing. He tried to fire again, but the gun jammed. In a panic he tried getting it to work, but the blonde wouldn't give him the opportunity. She propelled herself forward with her weapons and buried her fist in his gut, sending him flying back into one of his comrades with a hard thud.

Yang's arm was shaking from the adrenaline, but she managed to calm herself with a breath. No reason to get angry over unconscious men.

"You think you won?" though severely beaten, the shady man continued to make threats. "When Raven finds out what you just did you're dead."

Yang shrugged at this and grabbed him by the collar. "Maybe, but I won't know unless I pay mom a visit will I?"

"Wait? M…Mom? You mean you're-"

Yang tied his arms and legs and threw him onto the seat. "Camp's back there right?"

The man nervously nodded. "W-why are you taking me?"

"Insurance. Gotta make sure they don't try anything funny."

"I'm dead…"

Yang started the engine and rolled towards camp.

* * *

"Your chieftain needs your help! Your people need you! Please, join our fight to save Haven Academy!"

"You kidding?! Of course! We'd love someone with your skills on our team!"

"Mata! Get back here this instant!"

"Mom?!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

This had been the scene since morning. Blake and Sun stood in the center of the marketplace, desperate to gather support for their operation against the White Fang. Suffice to say it wasn't going well. After another few minutes of refusals and heckling, they decided to take a break. They sat a table close to the docks, sipping from coconut cups from a nearby fruit stand.

"It's crazy!" Sun slammed his cup on the table. "How can they just stand around while the White Fang are waiting to attack?! Why can't we just tell everyone about Adam killing Sienna? We'd get support for sure."

"We don't have definite proof." Blake said. She was much calmer than her friend, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't also frustrated at the island's inaction. "If we say something now it would only cause a panic, and the Albains would take advantage of it. We just have to keep doing what we're doing for now. Not everyone is like us. The Faunus here, the ones not born on the island anyway, came to Menagerie to get **away** from all of the fighting and struggling. They just want to be left alone." Blake couldn't help but smirk at this. "Kind of makes us look selfish for asking them to put the world before themselves like we are."

Sun settled back into his seat. "When you put it like that…I guess it makes sense why they wouldn't join. How's Neon doing?"

"She's still unconscious, but the doctor says she's doing much better. We're keeping her at the house for her protection. This is much for her as it is for us. Whatever Adam is planning is going to affect everyone, but the Faunus will take the brunt of it."

"So Adam…"

When Blake glanced at Sun he took a tentative sip from his cup. He had to be careful about how he asked his next question.

"You two…worked together?"

Blake sighed and looked off into the distance. "Yes."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Blake relaxed. "No it's fine." She thought of the right words to say. Adam was never an easy person to talk about. "Have you ever met someone and thought 'they are the personification of **this** word'?"

Sun cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Um…no?"

"I get that it's weird, but I'll try and explain. When I was with Ruby, I would remember thinking 'this girl is the embodiment of purity'. I saw Weiss as 'defiance', Yang 'strength', and recently I've seen Neon as 'energy'."

"What about me?"

A small smile appeared on Blake's lips. "Still figuring that one out, but I'm starting to settle on 'earnest'."

Sun, taking pride in his new title, beamed as he took another sip from his cup. Blake shared in this for a moment before frowning again.

"At one time I thought Adam was 'justice', then 'passion', but slowly I started to realize how wrong I was. He was 'spite'. Not 'hatred' or 'rage'; simply 'spite'. He dismisses equality and chooses to embrace suffering for what the world did to him. That way of thinking is poisonous and will infect anyone that gets too close." She looked at the reflection in her drink. "That's why I'm worried about Ilia."

"She's your friend, right?"

"She was. Because of her chameleon traits she could pass herself off as human. She could have lived a normal life, but she chose not to. Part of me admired her that. Her family was lost in a mining accident, but instead of wallowing in sadness she chose to fight. She and I learned to survive and defend ourselves while we served the White Fang, but as Sienna and Adam gained more influence Ilia started to become dangerous. In a way so did I. My parents tried to get me to leave, but I refused. I believed in Adam, and I had Ilia. I didn't think I needed anything else."

Sun's face turned serious. "We're gonna fight her eventually."

Blake nodded. "I know."

"What are you going to do then?"

"I'm going to **help** her." Blake answered firmly. "Just like you and Neon helped me."

Sun was taken aback by her answer. "We did?"

"You showed me that even when they don't want you to, you need to be there for a friend in need. I was drowning in guilt and fear and tried to push you guys away, but you didn't give up on me. I have to do the same for Ilia. I'm **through** letting my friends down."

Sun smiled at her response. It was just what he wanted to hear.

"Ready to go?" Blake stood up. "We still got more places to hit on the island."

"Hold on a second."

"What? You have to use the bathroom?"

"Actually-I mean no. Not that. You were talking earlier about people being words or whatever."

Blake chuckled. "That isn't **exactly** what I said, but yeah. What about it?"

"Well I was just wondering...what word was Natsu?"

* * *

Ruby's fist flew through the air. Oscar blocked before it hit his face. He was so happy at his quick reaction that he almost forgot to avoid the next strike. He ducked, watching as Ruby almost fell on her face. She tried a sweep. He jumped.

"He's picking this stuff up quick."

"Ruby's improving as well."

"She still kind of trips over her own feet though."

Team JNPR watched Oscar and Ruby spar from the sidelines. They had all been training since mid-morning. JNPR practiced their overall teamwork, while Oscar and Ruby were strictly told to only work on their hand to hand combat until Professor Ozpin said otherwise.

Oscar was frightened by the prospect. He had never been into a serious argument before, let alone an actual fight. Ruby on the other hand was irritated. Why did she need to fight hand to hand if she had Crescent Rose at her side?

Her question was abruptly answered when Oscar punched her in the face. She clutched her nose, her eyes flaring with anger.

"Oh no!" This is exactly what Oscar was afraid of. "I'm so sorry! I-"

Ruby socked Oscar just as hard, sending him flying back. Nora, Jaune, and Pyrrha winced at the sight of the blow. Ren twitched as well. He couldn't see the hit through his meditation pose, but he had certainly heard it.

"I did it!" Ruby cheered. When she realized Oscar wasn't getting up her happiness quickly turned to worry. "Oscar?"

You forgot to engage your Aura…again.

Oscar groaned on the ground as Ozpin reprimanded him.

"You could have **told** me."

 _Then how would you learn to do it on your own? If you keep showing the symptoms, then take the medicine._

Oscar sat up and rubbed his jaw. "What does that even mean?"

 _It means engage your aura. Here. Let me give it a go._

"Fine."

Oscar's eyes flashed yellow. Ozpin was now in control.

"A nice shot, Miss Rose." he said. "Unfortunately Oscar does not possess the years of experience that you or I do."

Ozpin activated his aura and slowly approached Ruby. She laughed anxiously.

"Water break?"

Ozpin charged. His attack was relentless. Ruby could hardly defend herself. One punch finally hits its mark, sending her reeling back. Ozpin then leapt forward with a kick that knocked Ruby to the ground. Frustrated, she threw punch that was easily ducked by Ozpin. He shot up, his head colliding under Ruby's chin and knocking her down. The fight was over.

Nora flinched. "Ouch."

"Next time you wish to throw a left cross, push off with the appropriate foot." Ozpin told a still downed Ruby. "And always remain cognizant of any openings."

"Right." Ruby strained as she sat up and realigned her jaw.

"Your hand to hand is improving, but it's still very limited. We'll have to keep working at it."

"Ok." Ruby smiled to herself. Yang had once told her same thing when they used to train together.

"Miss Nikos. Come here please. Bring your weapons as well."

"O-ok." Pyrrha walked into the training area. Passing by Ruby.

"Good luck."

"Miss Valkyrie. My cane please."

"Righty-o." Nora grabbed the cane leaning against the wall and threw it to Ozpin.

"Thank you. Now, Miss Nikos, I want you to come at me with everything you have."

"A-are you sure?" Pyrrha began to settle into her stance.

"One hundred percent." Ozpin nodded. "Do not hold back. Even for a moment."

"Yes, sir."

"This should be good." Nora said.

Pyrrha took the initiative and charged with impressive speed. Her first attack was evaded. The second was jumped over.

Ozpin soared, landing squarely on Pyrrha's shield. With one firm kick, she sent was sent sliding back on her heels. Pyrrha charged once more and their weapons clashed in the middle of the training area. Pyrrha pushed Ozpin's cane to the side with her Semblance and swept his leg. He rolled away when she slammed down her shield. He stood up, dusting the dirt from his - or rather Oscar's - shoulders.

"I recall telling you to use **all** of your strength. Why are you hesitating?"

"I-"

Before she could answer Ozpin was on her. Once again he swung his cane, and just like before Pyrrha moved it. Ozpin had seen through this. Using the momentum he spun and hit the redhead with a strong backfist. He forced his foot into her abdomen, pushing her to the ground. The impact made her lose grip of her sword. She raised her arm to call it back, but Ozpin forced her hand down with the point of his cane.

"You rely too much on your semblance. It won't always be able to save you. What are you afraid of, Miss Nikos?"

"I'm not...afraid." Pyrrha denied as she struggled to free herselg.

"Then show me the power of a maiden."

"I can't…"

"You **can**."

"I can't!"

"If you don't, you and all of your friends will die. Is that what you want? Do you want them to end up like Natsu? Because of your inability to act, he died and is now a pawn of Salem." He pointed to the others. "Do you want their deaths to be on your head as well? Do you want them to be minions of Salem as well?"

"Stop it…" Pyrrha's body began to heat up.

"Will you accept your power? Or will you fail **them** just as you did **him**?"

"Stop i~t!"

Pyrrha's right eye burned bright as her body was engulfed in flames. She let out a pained scream that broke through the stillness of the sky above. Unable to stand the heat, Ozpin jumped back.

"Pyrrha!"

"Stay back, Jaune!" Ozpin ordered. "The same goes to all of you! If you come any closer you **will** die!"

Pyrrha recalled Milo, changing it into its javelin mode. Overcome with pain and anger she threw it as hard as she could, the now flame coated spear zooming past Ozpin's head like a comet, and sailing over the balcony. The heat was enough to singe a few of his hairs.

The next instant the flames around Pyrrha disappeared and she dropped to her knees. Her friends rushed to her side. When Ruby tried touching her she burned her hand.

"Yow!"

"Don't worry." Ozpin said. "She'll cool down in a moment. That was an impressive display, Miss Nikos."

"Thank…you…." She panted.

"That was some pretty harsh stuff you said." Jaune stated.

"I apologize for that, but I knew Miss Nikos would not willingly tap into her power unless she were properly motivated. She should be fine now though. Go on, try making a flame."

Pyrrha weakly raised her arm. Sure enough she was able to summon a small flame in her hand. She was too tired to be excited about it.

"We will work on mastering that power, but for now you all should rest. It's getting late. That includes Oscar as well."

In a flash of the eyes, Oscar was given back control of his body. The strain of Ozpin's battles caught up with him all at once. Dizzy, he fell over.

"Are you ok?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah…this is so exhausting."

Ren – finally finished with his meditation – joined the group. "Your body isn't used to this level of training just yet. Creating a defensive Aura takes a massive amount of concentration. Though in time that will become second nature. You will be able to deflect attacks and heal wounds with it as well. After that you can focus on finding your Semblance."

"You sound like Ozpin." Oscar remarked. "All of you have a Semblance?"

"Yep!" Nora chirped. "Ruby's got super speed, electricity makes me stronger, Pyrrha can move metal, Ren masks emotions, and Jaune…"

The blonde's head dipped into his shoulders.

"He's like you!" Ruby interjected. She tried to sugarcoat the issue as best as possible. It didn't help. She grabbed Oscar and led him over to Jaune. "He hasn't found his Semblance yet, but he will. And so will you. It'll just take a little time."

Ruby smiled at both of them. They nodded with smiles of their own.

"It's a common philosophy that one's Semblance is a part of their personality and character, and those in turn define it." Ren explained. "Other say it's reversed. Then there are those who don't see the connection at all."

"The tricky part is knowing **when** it's gonna just pop up." Nora added. "Ren's showed up after intense stress."

"Mine kicked in when I was training with my sister one day." Ruby added.

"I had a nightmare when I was child." Pyrrha began. "When I woke up everything metal in the house was floating."

"And I was struck by lightning!" Nora beamed. "What a crazy Thursday that was, I tell you."

While everyone talked about their Semblances, Jaune felt himself become very small. He looked down at his hands, almost as if her were expecting them to shoot beams of light or turn into swords. He would have taken anything at this point.

"I don't get what's wrong with me. I'm training. I meditate all day…"

Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, Jaune. I promise your Semblance will reveal itself when you need it to. You just have to be patient a little longer."

"Yeah." He acquiesced. "I guess you're right."

"Now who's hungry?!" Ruby shouted. "I could really go for a big plate of juicy meat!"

"Me too!" Nora exclaimed.

Ren let out an exhausted sigh. "I'll see what we have left. Jaune, We might have to make a grocery run…again."

"Alright."

"I'll come with you." Pyrrha tried to stand, but her muscles still ached from earlier.

"You need to rest." Jaune told her. He threw her arm over his shoulder and lifted her up. "That's an order."

She smiled. "Yes, sir."

"I'll help too." Oscar slid under Pyrrha's other arm. "I'm technically the one who did this to you. I can also help with the groceries. I grew up on a farm, so I know a thing or two about fresh meat and vegetables."

Ren nodded in approval. "I could use a new set of eyes."

"Thank you, Oscar." Said Pyrrha.

"Yeah. Thanks" Added Jaune.

As the group returned to the house, Ruby looked out over the balcony.

"I wonder where Pyrrha's javelin landed."

* * *

"Another one."

Qrow discarded what would be his sixth empty mug of alcohol, as the bartender slid another one his way. The moment he took a sip an explosion boomed outside, rocking the entire building.

"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed the bartender as he ducked under the bar top.

"Stay here."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

Qrow grabbed his weapon and stepped outside. As expected there was a crowd.

 _Guess that rules out a Grimm._

"Out of the way. Move it. Huntsman coming through. Excuse me, ma'am." Qrow pushed himself to the front of the mumbling crowd.

They were circling around a crater that was almost as big as the village's fountain. In the center was a smoking Milo. Qrow grinned and put his weapon away.

"Guess training went well."

* * *

"I left him in the care of an acquaintance that owned an orphanage in Atlas. The last I heard he had been adopted by your family."

Weiss was at a complete loss for words. It had taken well over a day, but Raven had finally finished recounting her time with Natsu. The tale was a long and winding, leaving the heiress with much more questions than answers. She had no idea where to start.

How did he survive falling from the sky? Why did Professor Ozpin choose Raven to watch over him in the first place? Who was Salem? And most importantly, just where did her brother truly come from?

"You never visited him?"

"The tribe was much more important. Besides he had amnesia. Had he saw me there was no chance he would know who I was. I would be a stranger."

"You don't know that. Maybe you could have jogged his memory."

"...I visited Natsu twice after he was adopted."

"When? Surely I would have seen you."

Raven looked to the scar over Weiss' eye. "That wound. A Grimm did that to you as a child, correct?"

"Yes it-wait how did you know that?"

"Had it not been for me both you and Natsu would have lost your lives that day."

Weiss' eyes widened. She recalled not long after the incident Natsu mentioning having seen someone else in the garden. She thought he was just delirious from the attack, but now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense that someone intervened. There was no way Natsu could have taken that Grimm alone at his age.

"The second time I saw him was the train incident in Mountain Glenn. I was the one who brought him to you. I helped Yang that day as well."

Once again Weiss found herself shocked at Raven's revelations. Part of her wondered just why she was being so open to her about all of this, but she was grateful she was finally getting worthwhile information from her. Now she could ask the question that had been burning in her mind since she first woke up in Raven's tent.

"You said Natsu was alive. How…how is that possible?"

"..."

"Raven, there's trouble." Vernal burst into the tent before her leader could speak. "An intruder has come through the front gate. She has one of men hostage."

 _She?_ Raven put on her mask. "Stay here." she told Weiss.

When she stepped out of the tent she came face to face with a blonde haired girl with deep purple eyes.

"Mom."

Raven's stare remained resolute beneath her mask. "Yang. You've finally come."

"It's not like you make it a point to check in." Yang suppressed the shaking in her left arm long enough to look at her mother.

Weiss poked her head out of the tent, shock spreading throughout her face at the sight of her former teammate. "Yang…?"

"How did you find this place?" Raven asked her estranged daughter.

Yang threw the tied up drunk from the bar in the center of the camp. "There's a few more of them in that clearing back there." she pointed.

"S…sorry, boss." The man groaned. "She was...too strong."

"Is this how Taiyang raised you? To be a common thug?"

"Ironic coming from a thief." Yang retorted. "Besides they started it. All I wanted was to find this place."

"Why **are** you here?"

"Really? After I spent years looking for you that's all you have to say? The **least** you could do is give me an explanation on why you abandoned our family."

"Watch your mouth, you-"

Vernal's threat was effectively silenced by the raise of Raven's hand.

"I won't repeat myself a third time." she slowly gripped the hilt of her sword. "Why did you come here?"

Yang sighed. "I don't know what I expected. I guess that makes this easier though. Long story short, Ruby is somewhere in Mistral with Qrow. I want you to take me to her."

"Why should I help you?"

"Is being your daughter not enough?"

Raven remained silent.

"Don't act like you can't. Dad told me how your Semblance works."

Raven's eye twitched beneath her mask.

"You can bond to people. Then you use your sword to create a portal straight to them no matter where they are. Dad's got one, I have one, and Qrow has one. All you have to do is lead me to them I'll be out of your way."

"I refuse."

"What?"

"If you wish to rush headlong into death, use your own two feet. Don't drag others along with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll see in time." Raven turned her back to Yang. "If that's all…"

"Hell no it's not!" Yang's eyes turned red. The moment she took a step forward she was surrounded by members of the tribe.

"How dare you speak like that to our leader?!" one of them shouted. "You'd best watch your mouth, girl!"

"Or what?"

Vernal was the first to attack Yang, her attack being stopped by the blonde's metal arm.

"You heard the boss. I think it's time you **leave**."

Yang's anger intensified when she saw Vernal wielding Myrtenaster. "Where did you get that sword?!"

Vernal smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

As the two prepared to come to blows they were separated by the appearance of a white knight. Weiss finally emerged from Raven's tent, exchanging a look with the leader of the tribe as she passed her.

"Weiss?!" exclaimed Yang. "What are you doing here?!"

"You wanna fight too?" Vernal challenged. "After all we've done for you?"

"What are they talking about?" Yang asked.

"I'll explain later." She said. She then addressed Vernal. "I never joined your group. I'm only here because you **kidnapped** me."

Yang turned to her mother. "You kidnapped her?!"

Raven faced everyone. "All of you stand down. Any more tension and we'll be swarmed by a horde of Grimm in a matter of seconds."

The tribe did as they were ordered except for Vernal; who kept her menacing glare on Weiss and Yang.

"Vernal. I will not repeat myself a second time."

A few seconds passed and Vernal slowly calmed down.

"Return the girl's weapon."

Vernal sucked her teeth as she reluctantly handed Myrtenaster over to its rightful owner.

"The rest of you prepare for the next operation. Weiss. Yang. Follow me."

"Why should we?" spat her daughter.

Raven removed her mask, the hardened stare in her red eyes sending a chill throughout the entire tribe as well as Weiss and Yang.

"If you truly wish to follow your sister you must at least learn the truth of what you are getting into." With that Raven entered her tent to wait for them.

Weiss sighed in relief once Raven and the other tribe members were gone. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. If she had to wait any longer she would have passed out from the stress.

"What are doing here?" Yang finally asked her . "Why are you-"

Suddenly Weiss hugged Yang as tightly as she could, dropping Myrtenaster in the process. A friend was something Weiss desperately needed for a long while. As did Yang. She wrapped her arms around Weiss.

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

The two separated, Weiss wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"I didn't think you would miss me **that** much." Yang joked.

"Shut up." The heiress pouted.

"Oh." Yang reached into her pocket and pulled out Ruby's letter. "Ruby sent this to me when she reached Mistral. She said…she said Natsu's **alive**. I don't know if it's true or not, but-"

"It is."

Yang's eyes widened. "What? How do you know? Have you seen him?"

Weiss shook her head. "You're mother told me."

"And you believe her?"

"Not fully, but she obviously knows much more about this situation than either of us."

They both looked to Raven's tent.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Yang asked. "Let's go see what mom has to say."

* * *

Day one hundred. Or was it two hundred? Natsu didn't know sat against the wall of his cell, his eyes drifting to the red skies outside of his window. He had made very little progress on his escape plan. The hole he made was barely big enough for him to fit his hand through. At this rate he would be an old man before he escaped.

His stomach growled. It had been at least two days since he had last eaten something. He had resorted to eating the bugs that crawled along the floor of his cell, but even they had stopped coming before long.

The door to the dungeon opened. Natsu could hear light footsteps tapping neatly on the stone floor. Whoever it was was getting closer.

"Who's there?"

The smell was unfamiliar. In fact he couldn't smell anything at all. It was like something was blocking his nose from sniffing the air.

Slowly, a woman with bone white skin came into view before Natsu's cell. Her irises were blood red and there were black veins on the sides of her face and running down her arms to her fingers. Just being in her presence was enough to overwhelm Natsu in his weakened state. He was sure he had never seen anyone like this before, but the pressure she exerted felt somewhat familiar to him.

She smiled.

"Hello, my darling boy."

* * *

 **New chapter! Wanted to try and give a little more spotlight to Ruby in the beginning of the chapter. One of the things I feel Volumes 4 and 5 didn't do enough (or really at all in the case of V5) was focus on her and how she was feeling about all the things happening to her. It was pretty odd to say the least.**

 **I skipped to the end of Raven telling Natsu's story to Weiss for obvious reasons since I basically wrote an entire arc about it. Just picture those chapters as Raven narrating to Weiss as she remembers the events.**

 **As for the word Blake would use to describe Natsu...that will come later.**

 **Speaking of which, there was no Natsu last chapter was there? That will definitely be remedied next time when he comes face to face with Salem.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	61. Perspective

Natsu's entire body was frozen. His fingers shook. He broke into a cold sweat. His eyes widened. His breath hitched. He hadn't felt these sensations in a while, but he knew exactly what they meant.

He was afraid.

On the other side of his cell bars a woman with bone white skin that glistened in the pale light of the dust lamps stood firm before him. Black veins trailed from her arms to her cheeks like an infection and her blood red eyes saw through to Natsu's soul.

Unique as she was, Natsu couldn't help but feel he'd met this woman before. The memory was hazy, buried within the fragments of his mind, but what images he could piece together seemed to confirm his suspicions.

"It's understandable if you don't remember me." the woman said to him. "Last we met you were barely old enough to spell your own name."

Her voice was eerily nurturing. It wormed its way into his ear and sat there comfortably, similar to a mother's, but there was an underlying malice layered within each word spoken. She was not to be taken lightly.

"I'm sure you would have appreciated a place more…agreeable to your needs, but under the circumstances we had to-"

On instinct - or maybe it was fear making him irrational - Natsu slammed himself against the rusted iron bars.

"Let me-aah!"

A sudden but intense pain in his stomach doubled the aggressive boy over. It was as if something was squeezing his organs in a vice.

Outside of the cell Salem's fist was clenched tightly, the black veins on her arms inching into her palm.

A few seconds later she relaxed and Natsu noticed the pain subsiding.

"W-what was that?" he breathed, coughing up a small amount of blood onto the stone floor.

Salem pulled up one of her sleeves, showing more black veins.

"Have you ever heard of Yggdrasil?"

"Yg-what?"

Salem opened her hand, the veins flowing outward in her palm and forming into a small tree.

"Yggdrasil is an ancient plant, also known as the 'world tree'. It's size is so massive that it cannot be perceived at all by mortal eyes. It's sole duty is to hold up the entirety of the universe, which is supported by nine separate realms.

At the top of the tree rests what is Asgard of what is commonly thought of as heaven. The bottom is Hell or Helheim, whichever you prefer. In between these two are the realms of: Midgard, Muspelheim, Svartalfheim, Alfheim, Nifelheim, Jotunheim, and Vanaheim. Each one occupies their own dimension and have their own set of rules, inhabitants, and histories. It's quite the fascinating system."

Natsu had no idea what the woman was saying, but he couldn't speak. His fear of her had risen into his throat, holding his voice hostage. The only thing he could do was sit on his knees and listen to her.

"Yggdrasill connects every thing, living and non, within the cosmos. While it's energy is faint, it can be felt by those with an affinity to it such as the Maidens." The black tendrils untangled, forming into a ball. "Remnant resides within Midgard - named so because it resides in the middle of Yggdrasil - the realm where humanity resides. Remnant is special in Midgard, for it is the one place where all of the lower realms intersect. That is why each continents climate and ecosystems are vastly different from one another.

The fire pits and cracked earth here are influenced from Muspelheim. Sanus' wide area of forests, green lands, and deserts are a mix of Jotunheim's lush landscapes as wells Svartlafheim's oppressive heat. Solitas' cold lands are due to its proximity to the frigid winds and mists of Niflheim as well as the frozen stillness of Helheim. Finally, Mistral shares many similarities with Alfheim because of its sprawling greenery and love of the arts. The only land that is truly its own in this world is the Faunus colony of Menagerie."

"What does that have to do with me?" Natsu had finally found the will to speak again, though his body still quivered. Salem obliged.

"I mentioned before that Remnant lies in the realm of Midgard, but it is not the _only_ land that does so. In fact there are many places like it that lie in different planes of existence. Midgard is the largest realm because of the many dimensions created by the gods themselves within it. Remnant has a sister dimension, it's opposite in almost every way. A place known as Earthland. Here in Remnant, they tell stories of two brothers who created both the light and the dark of this land, but what history omitted was the fate of the **third** brother.

A lone god by the name of Ankhseram created Earthland in his image in a separate dimension from his brothers. I know nothing about the land aside from it's proximity to our own as dimensional travel was strictly forbidden by the gods long ago, but that rule does not apply to you does it?"

"What are you talking about?"

Natsu was lost. Nothing Salem said made sense. Giant trees that have worlds in them? Gods? Earthland? It all sounded ridiculous. However, the word Earthland had opened a door, if only slightly. He had to know more.

"Over ten years ago, **you** and **you** alone somehow crossed the dimensional barrier that separated Remnant from its sibling." She revealed to him. "I still don't know how that happened, but I have been studying that phenomenon ever since. You truly are an wondrous anomaly, Natsu Dragneel."

The sphered untangled, and the veins slithered back into Salem's arm.

"Within my body resides roots from Yggdrasil. I nearly died obtaining this power, and every day it threatens to tear me asunder, but the consequence is well worth the reward. These roots are **prophetic**. They tell me many things. We may die, but the world tree is forever, as such the knowledge within them spans eons. Even the saplings in my body give me incredible power. That pain you felt earlier; the results of the roots I placed inside your body the night we met."

Natsu's eyes widened, his shocked gaze focused on Salem's slender arms. "Those things…" he looked down to his stomach. "are inside me?"

"They allowed me to observe your growth, and they also aided in your revival. When Cinder brought you to me all those months ago, your body had long gone cold, but there was something inside of you. A primal fire that refused to be extinguished. My roots latched onto that and pulled it out, but to my disappointment you would not reveal your true self to me. You gave me Fafnir instead. A shadow of what you could truly be. There is a power dwelling within you, Natsu. These roots tell me so. Ozpin thought he could 'coax' it out of you, but I know better. No, you will only show your true face when pressured."

Her eyes flashed and a threatening smile formed on her lips.

Natsu felt that chill once again.

"Ozpin has been lying to you your entire life, but that is what he does. He feigns altruism, but truly he is more malicious than any Grimm. We've been at a stalemate for generations, but once I awaken your power I can finally turn the tide."

"I'll never help you." Natsu spat. He was only now beginning to understand his situation.

"Unfortunately, my child, your willingness is not vital. You are **mine** to control. If I ever choose to remove these roots from your body, you will die on the spot. However, while they are inside of you, you cannot die. Do you understand? Your life is in **my** hands. We are **tied** , like a mother to a child."

Natsu's glare hardened. "You're not my mother."

Just then a Seer floated into view, stopping next to Salem. A bright glow emanated from the orb and a voice echoed out.

"Watts is close. He should be here within the hour."

Natsu recognized the voice as Cinder's.

"Good." Salem acknowledged. "We will begin preparations immediately. Thank you, Cinder."

"Master…I have a request."

"Speak, child."

"…may I see Natsu one last time?"

Salem looked to the boy through the bars of his cell. His eyes were full of rage, but she paid him no mind. There was nothing he could do in his weakened state.

"I suppose, but be quick. There is much work to be done."

"Thank you, Master."

The transmission ended and the Seer floated down the hall.

"Looks like you will have one more visitor."

Natsu looked away, his face twisting his disgust.

"Don't pout. Despite her problems, Cinder does really love you in her own way. It's truly a sad tale. From the moment she came to me there was nothing in her but hate and a lust for power. To be honest, I had no problems with this. This world is cruel and her outlook is one formed through an understanding of that. But somehow, you changed her. If only a bit. I would almost say she knows what it is like to be...happy, but that's only an illusion. In the end it won't matter."

With those final words Salem left his cell behind.

"I'm going to get out of here!"

Natsu's impassioned declaration was met with a knowing grim from Salem.

"I have no doubt of that."

* * *

On a balcony overlooking the city of Mistral, a cane swung and slashed through the air under the setting sun.

A few hours had passed since training had finished for the day, but Oscar stayed behind to practice more at Ozpin's urging. He wanted to refuse, but when a disembodied spirit could literally possess your body at any time, it was best to just go along with the flow.

"Still at it, huh?"

Oscar whipped around. He was so focused on what he was doing that he didn't hear Ruby coming down the stairs. In her hands were two bottles of water. She tossed one to him.

"Thanks." He took a drink, the cool water soothing his aching chest.

"You're getting better." she complimented. "You ever fight Grimm before?"

"Just a few small ones that showed up on the farm."

"Well take it from me , you're a natural with that thing." She smiled, pointing at the cane. "You'll be ready in no time."

Oscar looked down to the cane as well, though with much more contemplation than Ruby.

"I've only had this thing a couple of weeks, but it feels much longer. Like I've had it all my life." When he realized what he was saying, his blushed. "Sorry. I must sound pretty crazy."

"Kind of, but we're all a little crazy so it's not a big deal. If that's what helps you focus, then cool. Just keep at it." She started for the stairs. "Dinner's ready so it's there if you want it. See you upstairs."

"…How do you handle it?"

Ruby faced Oscar. His words were barely above a whisper, but she had heard them clearly.

"What do you mean?"

" **This**. Fighting these monsters. Constantly having to look over your shoulder because people want to **kill** you." His voice started to crack. "I'm…I'm scared. More than I have ever been in my entire life. I always dreamed of being **more** than just some kid on a farm but this…?" he looked at the cane again. "Who would want **this**?"

Ruby understood his frustration. She felt it too. Of course he wouldn't accept this situation right away. He was still a kid. They all were in the grand scheme of things, but Oscar still was different. He wasn't a trained warrior like herself and team JNPR. He was simply a boy that had a great responsibility shoved upon him before he was ready. It wasn't fair.

"My friends and I went to Beacon so we could be Huntsmen." Ruby explained. She tried her best to sound resolute, but her confidence wavered. "We wanted to help people, but we didn't plan for this. Still we're here now; So we have just have to keep moving forward and-"

"And what?! Die!"

Oscar's shout surprised Ruby.

"How can you still be so confident?! People are trying to **kill** you! The world's going to hell and you keep smiling! How are you okay with any of-"

"I'm not!"

Ruby's scream silenced Oscar.

"Do you think I like being hunted by people who want to kill me just because of the color of my eyes?! I hate it! All of it! I hate that they killed Penny! I hate that they killed Natsu, and are using his body like a puppet! I hate that I can't go home because I'm scared they'll kill my dad and my sister! I hate that I can't find my friends because I don't know where they are! I hate being helpless because I don't know how this stupid eye power works!"

Just then her eyes started to glow.

"R-Ruby!"

Ruby's eyes burned with power similar to what she felt during the Fall. It felt like they were going to explode. She covered them as quickly as she could, her hands burning from the heat as she tried to calm herself. She took deep breaths, managing to stop the power from blasting outward.

"A-Are you alright?" Oscar asked.

"Y-yeah..." she rubbed her eyes. They still stung. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"No. It's my fault for lashing out at you first. I didn't think about how much pressure you were under as well."

"It's ok. Truth is I'm not ok with any of this. Like at all. I lost people when Beacon fell. Natsu died because I was too late to save him, and Penny was killed just to make a point. Almost every night I hear Pyrrha crying because of what happened. She was right there when Cinder killed Natsu, and they manipulated her to kill Penny too. I was supposed to be a leader, but my sister lost her arm, Blake ran away, and Weiss can't leave home again. In the end I couldn't save anyone. I let them all down."

Her hands started to tremble.

"I'm scared…all the time. The Fall proved Salem will kill **anyone** , and that frightens me more than anything. I think about Penny and Natsu every day, but I know that if I died that day **they** would have kept fighting. That's why I **can't** stop moving forward. Because If I do, I don't think I'll be able to walk anymore."

Ruby smiled weakly, but Oscar could tell she was doing it to save face. She was hurting inside, probably more than anyone else. He knew that now, and that guilt made him feel worse.

"It's not gonna be easy." She said. "But you even **trying** is a big step. You're way braver than you think you are."

The boy nodded. "So are you."

"Nah. I'm just going through the motions."

They shared small self-deprecating laughs.

"Come on. We should get something to eat before Nora **literally** eats it all." Ruby said.

"You go ahead. I'll catch up."

Ruby accepted this with a nod and went upstairs.

 _"She's quite something isn't she?"_ Ozpin asked rhetorically. As usual he had been listening in.

"Yeah." Oscar agreed with a short nod. "She must have been one of the best students at Beacon."

The headmaster chuckled in his head. " _I wouldn't go **that** far, but she was certainly an exceptional student when it came to inspiring others. She and Natsu were alike in that regard."_

"You've mentioned him before. Just who was this Natsu guy anyway? Nobody really talks about him much."

Ozpin fell silent.

"Ozpin?"

 _"...You should go eat."_

* * *

Pyrrha walked the city square. Circling the fountain in the center, she was careful to avoid the crater where her flame-coated spear had landed a couple of days prior.

Mixes of dark oranges and luscious reds painted the city, giving it an almost otherworldly image. It was like stepping inside a of painting.

As a breeze passed, Pyrrha wrapped the checkered scarf tighter around her face. It was unusually cold for spring. Though this was par for the course in Mistral.

Unwittingly, she inhaled the scent on the scarf. Even after many washes she could still make out the faintest traces of sweet cinnamon smoke. She hoped they would never fade.

Taking a seat on a nearby bench, her emerald eyes wistfully followed the many people that passed.

Pyrrha left the house shortly after eating dinner. Her thoughts were running wild. She needed air. Jaune offered to join her, but she declined with a smile and a promise that she would return soon.

There was a little over a month before the attack on Haven Academy was supposed to occur, but Pyrrha had yet to master her powers. It was understandable, her time with the Fall Maiden's power paled in comparison to Cinder's, but she couldn't help feeling restless.

Professor Ozpin kept telling her to be patient, but that patience would run its course sooner rather than later. Soon she would have to come face to face with her rival and make a decision.

Survive or die.

Then there was Natsu. She was sure he-.

"Help!"

A shrill cry splintered Pyrrha's melancholy. Immediately she stood up, scanning the area for the source of the voice. When she heard the scream again she ran as fast as she could to the west gate.

Not far from the gate, a man was surrounded by a pack of rabid beowolves - at least eight of them. With nothing in the way of weaponry, the man frantically shook a stick in front of the monsters. It did little to help.

"Get away from me! Someone help!"

Pyrrha grabbed her rifle and fired two shots into the pack, each hitting a beowolf. The others took notice and set their sights on her.

"Run!" she yelled to the man.

The monsters distracted, the man made a mad dash back to the gate. When one of the Beowolves tried to attack him from behind, Pyrrha fired a shot clean through its head, killing it instantly.

The rest of the pack swarmed, blocking Pyrrha's vision. She did her best to deflect their claws with her sword. She managed to push them away, but the exchange left her much more exhausted than she would have liked.

The pack circled her, their putrid breath burning her nostrils. She glanced over to the gate, it started to close. Standard protocol when Grimm are near.

 _Good. He managed to get away._ She returned her attention to the pack. She could feel her muscles ache. The pain from training was still fresh. _I can't let them pass me. The panic would only bring more Grimm._

She raised Akouo and Milo Xiphos, banging the latter as hard as she could against the former to keep the Grimm focused on her.

"Come on!"

Incited by the redhead's battle cry the Grimm charged, but before they could attack a flash of blue light ignited the red sky. Pyrrha saw the silhouette of a weapon in the flash. It was a scythe.

"Ruby?"

The blade came down like a guillotine, cutting through the Beowolf on Pyrrha's immediate left.

A figure draped in a brown cloak landed where the monster once stood. When their hood fell, two long rabbit ears extended from a head of short brown hair.

"Are you ok?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened. She recognized that voice.

"Velvet?"

Before the girl could answer the remaining Grimm pounced.

Pyrrha spun around, cutting the legs of one while Velvet sliced through the heads of two others. The pair stood back to back, still enclosed by the last vestiges of the pack.

"What are you doing here?" Pyrrha asked.

"I will explain later." Velvet's weapon changed from Crescent Rose into Pyrrha's own sword and shield. "Right now we have to take care of them."

With an affirmative nod Pyrrha tightened the grip on her weapons.

"I'll follow your lead."

* * *

"Would you like something to eat?" Pyrrha offered with a fist full of lien notes and a warm smile. "My treat."

"I-if you're sure it's not too much trouble." Velvet replied with a light bow of her head.

"Not at all. Follow me."

After making short work of the Beowolves, Velvet and Pyrrha saw off the man they saved upon returning to the city. He was so thankful for their help that he paid them a couple of hundred lien. The girls refused at first, but he insisted. Realizing the money would burn a hole in her pocket, Pyrrha decided to use some of it.

Velvet followed the redhead through the streets of Mistral. Paper lanterns filled with dust were beginning to illuminate the stone paved roads as the sun sunk even lower into the horizon.

Signs advertised bars, inns, and all other manners of late night entertainment for tourists and locals alike to indulge themselves as the night set in. It was quite the sight to behold for someone like Velvet, who rarely stepped foot outside at night.

"You cut your hair." Pyrrha pointed out. She was in front of Velvet, her stride unchanging as they continued on, but a brief glance over her shoulder prompted her statement.

"Oh. Y-yes I did." Velvet meekly confirmed, her fingers running through her shortened locks.

"It looks nice."

"Thank you."

"Here we are."

The pair stopped at a small stand placed at the end of the road. If you weren't paying attention you would have missed it.

Pieces of cloth with foreign characters on them hang just low enough to touch the top of Velvet's head. Past that was a layered counter top and six empty stools. It reminded the faunus quite a bit of the noodle stand at the Vytal Festival.

"Excuse me. Two beef bowls please."

"Coming right up."

They both sat down, Pyrrha giving the order to the middle-aged man behind the counter. He placed the ingredients on the grill, the sizzle echoing in the girls' ears as the smell of cooked meat and vegetables began flooding the stand.

"I forgot to properly thank you for helping me." Pyrrha turned to Velvet and bowed her head graciously. "I don't know how things would have ended if you hadn't shown up when you did."

"I-it was no problem." Velvet blushed. "I'm glad I could help."

"Here you go. Two beef bowls. Nice and hot."

The stand owner placed the food on the countertop a couple of minutes later. Pyrrha grabbed them and placed them before herself and Velvet.

"These smell delightful."

The scent floated into Velvet's nostrils. The beef mixed perfectly with the noodles and broth, giving the meal an exquisite smell that made her mouth water. In seconds she and Pyrrha were chowing down.

Once they finished, the redhead paid the man and they both left the stand with smiles on their faces and hands on filled stomachs.

"Thank you for the meal. It was delicious." Velvet said. She looked to the sky. It was getting dark. "I should be going. Perhaps I'll see you-"

"Actually," Pyrrha interrupted. "I was hoping you and I could…talk for a little while longer? If it's not too much trouble."

"Umm. Ok. I don't mind."

Pyrrha thanked Velvet and lead her to another part of town. The lantern lights from the roads started to glow brighter as the moon made its presence felt. The oranges and reds slowly shifted into dark purples, navy blues, and blacks that blanketed the city.

Arriving in a park not far from the house Pyrrha was currently staying in, the pair took a seat on a bench next to one of the cities many waterfalls. The calming sounds of the flowing water served as the perfect back noise for conversation.

However, for a while neither of them said anything.

Velvet got a sense that Pyrrha's request was less about her actually **wanting** to talk, and more her not wanting to be alone. She could tell by the way she gazed at the moon with a wistful smile.

It was at this moment that Velvet Scarlatina realized that Pyrrha Nikos was not the person she once knew at Beacon Academy.

They rarely interacted much outside of normal classes, but Velvet had always been aware of Pyrrha Nikos. It was hard not to be. Her accolades before coming to Vale spoke for themselves and she exuded a confidence and elegance that enraptured nearly everyone around her. She truly lived up to her reputation, but now that armor had been cracked. It didn't take Velvet long to realize why.

"I bet you're wondering why I'm here." she said. She knew that if the silence drew on any longer it would just become awkward. She had to get the ball rolling.

"Hmm?" Pyrrha turned to Velvet, her eyes wide. "Oh. Y-yes I am."

"My team and I were sent here by Professor Goodwitch." Velvet explained. "Apparently, there's going to be an attack on Haven Academy. We were suspicious at first but when we spoke with Professor Lionheart it turned out to be true. We didn't know you all would be here though."

"We've been here for a few weeks actually. Pyrrha revealed. We also heard about the attack on Haven and came to help, but we came of our own volition."

"How did you find out?"

"Just...rumors here and there."

Pyrrha clumsily avoided telling Velvet about Ozpin and Qrow, luckily the faunus didn't seem to pick up on her evasion.

"I'm glad to see another friendly face." she smiled. "There's strangely not many Huntsmen in this town."

"I know. That is odd for a major city like Mistral." Velvet agreed as she looked to the now somewhat barren streets. "When we asked around most of the townspeople either refused to tell us anything or skirted around the issue entirely."

"I wonder why." Pyrrha pondered. "I know. We should exchange information between our two groups and see what we come up with."

"That sounds like a good idea." Velvet smiled. "I'll let the rest of my team know."

Silence fell between them once more, though it was much less awkward than last time.

If Velvet was being honest, she didn't like Pyrrha Nikos that much. It wasn't over anything the redhead did to her personally, they had never talked before now. No it was a much simpler reason: jealousy.

Love and affection were never simple things, especially for ones so young.

In her mind, Natsu was hers, and Pyrrha had stolen that. Her feelings were possessive and selfish, but Velvet couldn't help herself. She had never felt those emotions before. Anything new can be scary if you don't understand it.

However, after the Fall, those negative emotions began to fade. She hurt deeply when she heard of Natsu's death, but for a brief moment Velvet empathized for Pyrrha. She knew whatever pain she was feeling, Pyrrha felt twice or even three times as worse.

As she watched Natsu's scaled scarf dangle in the breeze from around Pyrrha's neck. Velvet spoke the words that had been hiding on the back of her tongue since they met again.

"…Natsu is alive."

No response.

Perhaps Pyrrha didn't believe her. How could she? People don't come back from the dead, but Velvet knew what she saw. Maybe she was simply shocked. Velvet elaborated.

"We came upon a village we thought had been attacked by Grimm. It was a horrible sight. The buildings were in ruin and all the people had either escaped or were lying dead in the streets." she took a moment to relive the memory. "We encountered three people we think caused the destruction: a weird man with long black hair, Roman Torchwick's partner Neopolitan, and a man in a mask."

Pyrrha's eye twitched when the masked man was mentioned. Velvet continued.

"They demanded to know where Ruby was. When we told them we didn't know a fight broke out. I fought the masked man. During our fight I managed to break his mask…and it was Natsu. I was so shocked that I couldn't defend myself and he knocked me out. Then they destroyed our weapons and left us for dead."

Pyrrha remained silent.

"It sounds crazy, but I promise I'm telling you the truth. Natsu is alive and–"

"I know."

Those two words silenced Velvet in an instant.

"I know he's alive." Pyrrha repeated.

Velvet could barely form a thought. "H-how do…you…"

"We fought him and the two you mentioned in a town called Kuroyuri just before we arrived her."

Pyrrha proceeded to explain everything that happened during the battle in Kuroyuri, including Natsu's refusal to board the air ship. There was no sense in hiding it anymore.

"I still don't understand." Velvet said. "How is it even possible that he is alive?"

"Salem."

"Who?"

"She's the one behind everything. The attacks in Vale. The Fall of Beacon. Even the upcoming attack on Haven Academy. All of this is her doing."

"So this Salem person…you're saying she brought Natsu back to life?"

"I don't understand it myself, but that's what we were told by Ruby's Uncle Qrow. She revived him and is now forcing him to do her bidding like some sort of puppet."

"Then we have to save him!" Velvet shouted, her eyes now full of fire.

"I want nothing more, but…" Pyrrha clenched his scarf tightly. "We have no idea where he is. He could be anywhere in Mistral, or he could have left the continent entirely. We don't know."

"What about this Salem person's hideout?" Velvet suggested. "I'm sure that if she is controlling him he went back there."

"We don't know where that is either. Our one hope is that he will show up when Haven Academy is attacked. It's a long shot, but it's the only one we have at the moment."

Velvet placed a gentle hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. Just as she thought Pyrrha was hurting much more than ever was, but that didn't stop her from trying to move forward. She had to do the same.

"Don't worry. We'll bring Natsu back. Together."

Pyrrha smiled. It was her first genuine one in quite a while. She wiped the tears from her eyes and bowed her head to Velvet.

"Thank you so much."

Unbeknownst to the pair, Coco Adel watched them from behind a nearby tree. She had been following Velvet since she left the inn, making sure she didn't run into anyone, but of course that plan flopped the minute her friend ran off to fight those Grimm.

Of course Coco already knew Pyrrha and friends were in the city, Raven told her as much, but until this point she was doing everything in power to make sure their two groups never crossed paths.

 _Dammit, V._ _What have you done?_

Things had gotten much harder.

As she thought of what to do next, her scroll vibrated. Normally communication via scrolls would be impossible since the CCT Tower fell, but the tribe were nothing if not resourceful.

When Coco saw the name on the screen she rolled her eyes and reluctantly answered, but she remained silent.

"Oh come on. Is that anyway to treat your little sister?" teased the voice on the other side.

"What do you want, Vernal?"

"Someone's upset."

"I'm hanging up."

"Hold on. I just thought I'd let you know that Yang Xiao Long has found the camp."

Coco's eyes rounded in shock. "Is Master Raven-?!"

"She's fine. You know how she is."

"What's she doing now?"

"Right now?" Vernal looked to the tent in the center of camp. "Just a little family reunion."

A crash echoed from the tent.

"You don't get to talk about Dad after what you did!"

Coco could hear Yang's angry shout through the reciever.

"What's going on?" she asked her sister.

"Gotta go."

"Wait, Vernal-"

Her sister hung up.

* * *

An hour or so before Vernal's call, the tense air had yet to settle inside the tent of Raven Branwen.

This was to be expected. A couple of hours ago Weiss and Yang were engaged in a standoff with the entirety of the Branwen Tribe. It would be foolish to think things would be forgotten so easily. So there they sat, circled around a small table in the center of the tent.

Raven sipped from her cup of tea while Weiss and Yang let theirs heat up the table.

"Are you done stalling?"

Raven placed her cup down at her daughter's insistence.

"Patience is a virtue."

"And time is short." Weiss retorted. "Please get on with it."

"What's this 'truth' you were talking about?"

"A complicated one." Raven began. "Victory for one is defeat for another. No doubt Qrow has told Ruby many stories about his triumphs."

"What's your point?" Yang asked harshly.

"Only that people see us how we want them to. You know as well as I that Qrow tends to…embellish his tales. It's one of the few things he excels at. I'm sure that is part of the reason you and your sister became Huntresses. He planned it perfectly. Setting up the next generation to try and save the world."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not completely, but the life of a Huntsman is much more involved than the academies make it seem. Some are in it for the glory, others money, and there are some with even darker intentions than that. Qrow and I are examples of the third. We didn't attend Beacon to **become** Huntsmen, we enrolled to learn how to **kill** them."

This revelation hung in the air, shocking Weiss and Yang. Raven on the other hand, took another sip from her cup as if she had said nothing at all.

"I'm not surprised Taiyang and Qrow never told you." she said plainly. "As I said, perception is reality. Mine and Qrow's motives were nothing as malicious as wanting to kill for the fun of it; the tribe needed a counterforce to strike against Huntsmen if need be. Aside from the Grimm, they were the only ones who could interfere in our raids.

We tried to keep a low profile, but that proved more difficult than we thought. We passed the entrance exam with ease, and Qrow being who he is couldn't help being the center of attention. Not long after we caught Ozpin's eye. At first I thought it was because he knew of our true purpose, but it was **all** of Team STRQ that he was interested in. I'm sure you you see what I am implying."

"Let's pretend we don't." Yang replied.

"Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye to whenever we broke the rules. Need I say more?"

Yang and Weiss shared a glance. It didn't take a genius to see the parallels between STRQ and RWBY, but Raven still had yet to get to the heart of the matter.

"Get to the point." Her daughter demanded.

"Ozpin. How much do you **really** know about him?"

"Well…" Weiss started. "He was a prodigy, as well as the youngest Headmaster in history."

"Perception." Raven repeated. "In truth Ozpin designed the schools and appointed agents inside every one that are loyal to him and **only** him."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Yang argued. "How could he have done something like that? It's impossible."

"I thought so as well, but the truth is rarely easy to accept that. Ozpin's secrets could rip the world asunder. Some of them he shared with our team, but I knew then that there was information yet to be uncovered. The deeper I dug, the darker the world around me became. Sometimes I wish I had remained blind."

"Then what's he hiding?" Yang asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "What's an old man with a caffeine addiction hiding that is **so** scary?"

"Natsu." Raven replied simply.

Yang's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about him?"

Raven turned to Weiss, prompting Yang to do the same. When their eyes met, the heiress looked away from her friend as quickly as she could.

"Weiss, what is she talking about? What does Ozpin have to do with Natsu?"

The heiress' lips tightened.

"Weiss-"

"Natsu Schnee, or rather Natsu Dragneel. Is an aberrant." Raven interjected. "In other words, he is an anomaly should not exist in this world."

"You take that back!" Weiss slammed her hands on the table, alarming Yang as she glared at Raven.

The blonde calmed her friend and addressed her mother directly.

"What do you mean he 'shouldn't exist'?"

"What do you truly know about him?" Raven looked to Weiss. "What do **either** of you know?"

Weiss backed down, but Yang was still lost.

"Ozpin gave that boy to me." Raven revealed. "At first, I thought it was keep him out of danger, but I soon learned the truth. He wanted me to **train** him."

Yang couldn't believe what her mother was saying. She turned to Weiss for some sort of denial, but her friend confirmed Raven's words.

"She told me the same thing." Weiss said. "Supposedly, Professor Ozpin found Natsu on the night of a storm over ten years ago. He then placed him in the care of your mother, Yang."

The blonde was stunned. "Why didn't he tell us?"

"He doesn't remember." Raven spoke up. "After a mission went awry Natsu was stricken with amnesia. Seeing this as a way out, I placed him in an orphanage in Atlas, where he was eventually adopted by the Schnees. I thought I'd gotten him away from Ozpin's war with Salem, but I was too naïve."

"Salem? Who is that?" Yang questioned.

Weiss' interest was piqued. It was her first time hearing that name as well.

"She's the leader of the Grimm." Raven answered. "A malicious figure who will stop at nothing to see humanity fall to its knees. She was the true mastermind behind the Fall of Beacon. She is also the one behind Natsu's resurrection."

Again Yang and Weiss were floored by Raven's words.

"I don't know how, but the two of them have become tied. Natsu is **dangerous**. Both Ozpin and Salem know this, and have fought for years to keep him under their thumb. Ozpin used manipulation, but Salem is more comfortable with force to meet her goals."

"Don't talk about him like he's some kind of weapon." Yang growled, her eyes flashing red. "He's a person, and more importantly our **friend**. Besides why should we believe anything you say?"

"You shouldn't." her mother answered plainly. "I simply laid the pieces, but it is up to **you** to put the puzzle together. I can't force you to see what I do, but that doesn't mean I'm **not** telling the truth. Trust **no one** and question **everything**. It will be the only way to survive the coming storm. If not, you will be just as blind as your uncle…and as foolish as your father."

A sudden shot from Ember Celica destroyed the table, spilling Yang and Weiss' tea on the ground. Raven remained seated, eyes focused on her livid daughter.

"You don't get to talk about Dad after what you did!"

The clicking of a gun could be heard just a few inches away. Vernal stood in the doorway, her weapons – chakrams with pistols inside the handles – pointed at Yang.

"I suggest you calm down."

Yang turned to Vernal. "Make me."

Realizing the situation would only escalate further, Weiss placed her hand on Yang's. She squeezed just hard enough for the blonde to look her way. Seeing the concern in her eyes Yang took a breath and sat back down, her eyes returning to normal.

"You would do well to keep your anger in check." Raven said. "It will only ruin you in the end."

"You don't know the first thing about me." Yang snapped. "You **left** remember?"

Raven fell silent.

"Just…tell me why. Why did you leave?" Yang implored. "That's all I want to know."

"Nothing I say would change anything." Raven answered. "There are things in this world you wouldn't understand. Truths that you have to see for yourself to believe. **Both** of you. Natsu's revival is only the start of a much larger web weaved by both Ozpin and Salem. There is one last thing I have to show you. Then the decision will be yours."

Raven stood up and exited the tent. Leaving the pair bewildered.

Vernal pointed outside. "You should probably go after her."

When the girls exited the tent, Raven was nowhere in sight.

"Where'd she go?" Yang wondered aloud. "She was just here."

Weiss could see the ire rising in her friend's eyes again.

"Yang..."

"I'm fine." She replied quickly. "The quicker she takes us to Ruby, the better."

"If you want to talk we can-"

"You don't believe her, do you?" Yang interrupted. "I mean come on. How crazy did that sound? Some woman controlling the Grimm? The stuff about Ozpin? About Natsu? It's complete nonsense ,right?"

"I…I don't know." Weiss admitted. "I mean it **sounds** farfetched, even with all the different things this world has to offer, but...I think part of me **wants** to believe it. I feel like I have to if I want to see Natsu again."

"Weiss…"

Just then a raven swooped down from a nearby tree.

"Where did that come from?"

"…I…I think I've seen that bird before." Yang said.

The bird circled back, weaving through the trees as Yang and Weiss watched.

"Maybe the bird belongs to your mother?" Weiss offered.

The bird descended once more from behind the trees, and transformed into Raven Branwen.

She landed before the astonished girls.

"How…how did you that?" Yang asked, her mouth agape. Weiss was at a complete loss for words.

In response, Raven drew her sword and cut open a portal.

"I will give you a choice. Stay here and I will tell you all that I have learned, or you can step through that portal, reunite with Qrow, and become a willing pawn in a game that is beyond your understanding."

Weiss couldn't read Yang's expression, but if she had to guess she would say her friend was conflicted to say the least. She felt the same way. There was a lot they didn't understand, and Raven was seemingly willing to give them the answers they sought.

Yang walked away from the portal. As she reached her mother, the blonde took a sharp left towards Bumblebee - which was parked in front of the tent. She rolled it to the portal and started the engine. Her decision had been made.

Weiss took a breath and sat behind Yang on the seat, solidifying her choice as well.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Raven asked. "I won't make this offer again."

"Don't." Yang retorted. "I couldn't care less about some stupid war. I came here to find a way to my sister, and I have. There's nothing left for me here."

Weiss could feel the pain in Yang's voice and hugged her tighter.

Raven put on her mask.

"I understand. Then next time we meet, it will be as enemies."

Yang revved Bumblebee's engine. "What were we before?"

With those final words Yang and Weiss entered the portal.

Once it closed Raven headed back to her tent, her eyes showing an inkling of remorse.

* * *

Inside their home, Ruby and Team JNPR were busy cleaning the remaining dishes from dinner.

Pyrrha had returned not long ago, but had yet to tell anyone she had met Velvet in town. She had every intention of doing so, but a confrontation with Coco Adel persuaded her from doing so.

Her reasoning was that the more people who knew they were in town, the harder their mission would be. She reaffirmed that they would meet up before the attack, but now was not a good time. Velvet seemed surprised at Coco's reasoning, almost as if she was unaware of the rule, but Pyrrha decided follow it. If only for the moment.

"Have a good walk?" Jaune asked. He was clearing off the table along with her.

"Y-yes. I did." she nodded. "The city is very beautiful at night."

"We're almost done with the dishes." Ren announced.

"It's a bummer your uncle couldn't find anyone, Ruby." Nora said through a mouthful of carrots that were supposed to be saved for the next day. "We made a lot of food."

"I know." Ruby sighed as Ren handed her the next plate to be dried. "He's been searching since we got here, but he keeps coming up empty. It's weird. I hope he finds someone soon though. We could use the help."

"I'm back!"

Qrow's raspy greeting came through the front door.

"Coming!" Ruby looked to Ren, her eyes begging for permission to leave.

Ren sighed, but smiled. "Go. Nora and I can handle the rest."

"Thanks."

"Ruby?" Qrow called.

"I said I'm coming! Hold on!"

Ruby grabbed a tray sitting on the kitchen counter and headed into the foyer. A hot cup of tea rested on it. She had prepared for this. There was no doubt in her mind that her uncle had returned drunk...again.

"Here. Drink this. Ren said it will sober you up and-"

"Ruby."

A familiar voice shook the young girl to her core. She froze, only able to move her head as her gaze slowly pulled upward. When her eyes finally reached the doorway, she dropped the tray. The mug broke to pieces on impact with the floor as the tray banged and bounced around her feet. Team JNPR rushed in at the noise.

"Ruby, what happ-"

Jaune and his team were struck silent as well at the sight before their and Ruby's eyes.

Standing in the doorway next to Qrow were Yang and Weiss.

Ruby's heart stopped for a moment, her lungs ridding themselves of air when she saw her sister's prosthetic. Visions of their final conversation replayed in her mind. She left her behind with barely a word spoken. It was one of her biggest regrets.

As her sister slowly approached, Ruby could barely contain her emotions long enough to form a coherent sentence.

"Y-Yang!" she stuttered. "I'm…I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left home! I should've stayed and helped you! I should have been there for you! I-" Crystal clear tears streamed from her silver eyes. "I thought you hated me and-"

Yang wrapped her arms around Ruby as tightly as she could, silencing. A single tear dropped down her cheek.

"I'm so glad you're safe."

Ruby whimpered regretfully into her sister's shoulder. "I love you."

Yang pulled her closer. "I love you, too."

Oscar came into the foyer to see what the commotion was about. When he saw the sister's embrace, he smiled along with JNPR and Qrow. He might not have fully understood what was going on, but seeing Ruby like this lifted a small weight from his heart.

Weiss wiped a tear from her eye. The sisters' embrace made her think of her own brother, and she felt a pang in her chest.

Natsu was out there somewhere. Alone. With no family or friends to help or hold him. The thought alone was enough to depress her.

"Weiss…"

The heiress raised her head to see Ruby and Yang opening their arms to her. A smile finally breaking through, she joined in their loving embrace.

* * *

Screams reverberated throughout the gothic palace located in the bowels of Remnant. Each excruciating shout served as stimulation to thousands of Grimm being born in the black pits outside.

Salem watched intently as Watts worked on Natsu. The procedure was entering its sixth hour, but Salem didn't mind. She would stay as long as it took for Watts to finish. She was finally within reach of what she sought, she could stand to wait a little longer.

Watts described himself as something of an artist when it came to his medical practices. He believed true knowledge could only be obtained by working **outside** the rules of convention. Electroshock. Drug cocktails. Mental suggestion. Salem's roots. All of these methods and more were used in order to break the boy's will to nothing, creating a mold that Salem could once again form into whatever she wished.

As time wore on, Natsu's screams started to fade. His thrashing became less violent until eventually he was completely motionless on the operating table.

"Is it done?" Salem asked.

"Yes, Ma'am." Watts placed his apron on a chair and threw his bloody gloves in the trash. "It took some time, but I believe the results will be to your liking. Now all we do is wait for him to wake up."

"Good."

Salem hovered over Natsu, a sick smile cracking the edges of her lips.

Suddenly his eyes shot open. Watts was shocked.

"That's not-"

Natsu broke his restraints and punched the doctor in the face, sending him flying across the room.

"No!" The veins on Salem's arms started to move and her eyes shined bright.

Natsu fell to his knees, the pain caused by the roots spreading throughout his body.

"You will not defy me!" Salem yelled, venom on her tongue. "I have come too far for you to ruin it now!"

In a last ditch effort to free himself Natsu opened his mouth, letting out a stream of flames that blinded Salem long enough for her to lose focus. The effects of the roots wearing off, Natsu pushed her aside and ran down the nearest corridor from the operating room.

"Stop him!"

At Salem's order a horde of Grimm chased the boy through the cavernous halls of the castle. His body was still weak from Watts' treatments, but he had to keep going. This was his only chance to escape.

 _"Go right!"_

A voice called out a direction in his head.

"Who said that?"

 _"Hurry!"_

The Grimm hot on his heels, Natsu ignored his suspicions and darted down the hall to his right.

 _"Left."_

Approaching another intersection, Natsu once again listened to the voice and turned. For a moment he thought that this mystery person was leading him into a trap, but seeing as he avoided all the Grimm chasing him along the way, he decided to trust it for now.

 _"Take this last left."_

Natsu did as he was told. To his surprise there was a light at the end of the hall.

"That must be a way out!"

A score of Grimm started to flood in behind him, blocking him from turning around. His body was getting heavier. His strength was fading, but the light was glowing brighter.

"Almost...there..."

With his last ounce of strength, Natsu jumped through the doorway.

* * *

 **New chapter! This one was a doozy. Took me almost a week to edit because I just wasn't satisfied. This is like the fourth draft, so I hope you like this one.**

 **Ruby's outburst was something I had been working on for a little bit. I said this before but she never really got any moments to herself in volume five. She was pretty passive despite everything that went on. Hell, most of what should have been her development went to Jaune.**

 **As for Salem's explanation of Remnant and Earthland, that was also something I had been throwing around for a bit. I'm a fan of Norse mythology and its concept of the universe so I decided to integrate it here. It may or may not come back into play later.**

 **Also a warning. The rest of this volume as going to be a little...weird to say the least, but stay with me. It's going to be a ride.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	62. Reprieve

Laughter bounced from wall to wall of a small house located in the capital city of Mistral.

Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long, having reunited with their friends after nearly a year, caught them up to speed on what happened in their lives since the Fall.

Tales of lost maps, fierce grimm battles, and hectic dinner parties kept them up well into the late hours.

" **Please** tell me you let her have it."

Weiss had just finished telling the story of the charity dinner she attended before leaving Atlas.

Yang was on the edge of her seat, hoping the heckler was punished for what she had said.

"I wish." Replied the heiress. "As a lady bearing the Schnee name, I have to compose myself in situations like that…no matter how much I **want** to do otherwise."

"You're lying." Nora objected. "There's no way you summoned a boarbatusk out of nowhere."

A confident grin painted on her delicate features, Weiss' eyes cut to the empty space next to Nora. A snow white boarbatusk materialized on the spot, eliciting a frightened yelp from the flame haired girl.

Her chair tipped and she fell to the floor, much to the amusement of her friends. As she picked herself up from the ground, conversation started to shift towards Yang's prosthetic.

With a nonchallant shrug of her shoulders, the blonde raised her robotic appendage, garnering sounds of shock and awe from the group.

"It can't replace the real thing, but I've been getting some good mileage out of it." She said.

"It's certainly well made." Pyrrha noted, focusing on the sleekness of the metal in the light.

"The best technology Atlas could buy. At least that's what my dad told me."

"Interesting." Ren commented.

Ruby zipped to her sister's side, eyes wide as she looked over the arm's golden finish. Her mind raced with thoughts of how the inner systems worked. She imagined how they fit together and how well they performed in battle.

She held it up to the light once more, the low whirring and humming of the motors and joints inside like a symphony to her ears.

"Is it just as strong?" she excitedly inquired.

"You bet." nodded her sister.

"How much can you lift?"

"Hmm. I don't really know for sure. I never fully tested it, but I **did** lift that old stump out of the backyard without too much trouble."

Ruby's eyes widened further. "Really?! That thing's been in the ground since we were kids!"

A revived Nora slammed her arm onto the table.

"Let's see how tough that can opener **really** is." she challenged with a confident smirk.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Is now really the time to-"

"You're on."

Despite the heiress' protests, Yang clutched Nora's hand. Once Ruby counted down the match was on.

"You got this, Nora!" shouted Jaune as the pair began to struggle.

"Show her the power of Team JNPR." Added Ren.

"Don't give up." encouraged Pyrrha.

"Come on, Yang!" cheered Ruby. "Don't lose to a girl in a skirt!"

" **You** wear a skirt, Ruby." Weiss sighed.

"I'll say this much, it at least **feels** the same." Nora grunted.

"Totally, but it has a couple of perks." Yang grinned.

"Like what?"

A low hum could be heard coming from Yang's arm. In the blink of an eye Nora was sent flying back into the wall, Yang's now detached prosthetic in her hand. With a shriek she threw the loose appendage into the air, Yang catching it with a hearty laugh.

Her friends however, were confused at what they had just seen.

"…Did she win?" Jaune questioned.

"Yes…?" Pyrrha answered unsteadily.

"Perhaps we should call this one a draw." Ren suggested.

Yang realigned her arm as Nora - now nursing the bump on the back of her head from hitting the wall - returned to the table.

"Wish I had that trick handy when I beat Natsu."

The entire mood soured after Yang's joke, the smiles on everyone's faces were quickly replaced with looks of sadness and guilt. Realizing what she had said, the blonde quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"It's fine." Pyrrha spoke up with a forced smile. "It's getting late. We should finish cleaning up."

She headed to the kitchen, her team following.

A despondent Ruby and Weiss left as well.

Now alone. Yang looked at the guilty reflection in her metal arm .

"Stupid." She said to herself.

* * *

"So, everything Yang's mother said was true?" Weiss inquired. "Maidens? Magic? Salem? All of it?"

Qrow nodded. "Pretty much. Kinda surprised she told you all of that actually. Raven's not exactly the most **open** person."

"Tell me about it." Yang muttered under her breath.

After the cleaning had been finished, Ruby and the others were joined by Qrow and Ozpin. After taking a few minutes for Yang and Weiss to adjust to their former headmaster's new "situation", the pair proceeded to confirm everything Raven had told them while in the tribe camp.

"Is there anything **else** she told you?" Ozpin prompted.

Yang's eyes narrowed in suspscion. "Did you really turn her and Qrow into birds?"

Everyone let out a collective gasp.

 _Hold on...what?_ Oscar questioned.

"Nice, Raven." Qrow facepalmed.

"She must trust you a great deal to divulge that information." Ozpin replied, a measure of surprise in his voice.

Yang's glare hardened. She was not in the mood for his usual evasions.

"The short answer is yes. I did. Thanks to my ability to reincarnate, I have gained a few…extra talents." Ozpin explained. "Similar to the Maidens, I possess a **limited** set of magical powers. One of which allowed me to turn the Branwen twins, as your mother said, into birds. It was supposed to allow them to 'see' more, if that makes sense. Freer movement without being burdened by their natural forms. Though in hindsight I guess it does sound a tad ridiculous."

Ruby looked to her uncle for some sort of sign that it wasn't true. He said nothing.

"...Birds?" Ren muttered. It was hard for him to keep his mind calm after such a revelation.

"How is that even possible?" wondered Pyrrha. She possessed a portion of the Fall Maiden's power, and even she was having comprehending this new development.

"You're messing with us." Nora snorted.

"Isn't he always?" huffed an irritable Jaune.

"He's not lying." Weiss defended. "Yang and saw it firsthand. Her mother changed from a bird to a human. Right in front of our eyes."

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Yang roared at the headmaster. "How could you do something like that?!"

"Calm down, Yang." her uncle ordered. "You don't understand. We **chose** this."

Yang lowered her shoulders just a bit at her uncle's words, but her eyes remained narrowed at Ozpin. If looks could kill he'd have reincarnated twice over.

"The power I imparted on the Branwen twins was not something done on a whim." Ozpin elaborated. "It was done to gather information on Salem's plans in order to better fortify our defenses. We also needed to search for the Maidens in the event we couldn't identify their hosts in time."

"Did you change General Ironwood or Professor Goodwitch into birds too?" Ruby asked.

"Tempting as it was, no. I did not. My power is, for the lack of a better word, dwindling. The amount I used on the twins was rather inconsequential compared to what I had done before."

"Before?" Pyrrha repeated with a tilt of her head. "What did you do?"

"The maidens. " Ozpin revealed. "A large portion of my power was given to them in the hopes that they would use them for good."

Once again, the entire group fell silent in shock.

Ozpin bowed his head to his students in apology.

"It wasn't my intention to deceive you or any one else. I just thought it best to keep things 'close to the chest' as Qrow would say."

Behind him, the elder huntsman nodded sagely.

"Life comes with many choices. Qrow and Raven chose to accept not only thier powers, but the responsibilities that came with them. Unfortunately, Raven abandoned that duty to indulge in her own pursuits. Now, the lot of **you** are presented with a choice. If you wish to leave I will not stop you, nor will I judge you. It is not a sin to want to survive."

Weiss raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Schnee? What is it? You wish to leave?"

"No. Not exactly. It's about my brother. When we spoke to Yang's mother, she told us that he wasn't 'from this world'. Do you know anything about that?"

The others were confused by her question.

Ozpin could tell from the tone in the heiress' voice that there was no use in lying. Raven truly had revealed everything.

"I should have anticipated this." he sighed. "Raven continues to surprise me. Are you sure this is information you wish to know? It could forever alter your perception of your brother."

His question was a serious one, his voice and gaze not wavering for a moment. Weiss stood her ground.

"Tell me."

"Do the rest of you feel the same?"

Ozpin looked to Ruby and the others. After a few unsure glances, they all nodded their heads.

"Very well then." He accepted. "Ten or so years ago, on a clear night much similar to this one, an unnatural storm broke out…"

Ozpin proceeded to tell the students, as well as Qrow, **everything** about Natsu. How he appeared in Vale, his days at Beacon, being sent with Raven, and finally his adoption into the Schnee family. He also explained to them the world tree and the realms, as well as the barriers that were suppose to separate them.

Suffice to say all of this information was a little too much for freshman who didn't even finish high school to comprehend.

"I need a drink. Maybe two." Qrow promptly went to the kitchen, his hand on his aching head.

"So Natsu's...an alien?" Ruby asked.

"Not exactly." Ozpin countered. "More like a 'visitor' from another time. A traveler from a faraway land."

"What's this Earth Land place?" Nora inquired. "Is it like Remnant?"

"I'm not sure. Information about it is older than I am."

"How did Natsu get here in the first place?" Jaune wondered.

"Again, I don't know. The reason the barrier broke down is still a mystery."

"Can he go back?" asked Ren.

"I've tried many times to return him home, but to no avail. To my knowledge it was a one way trip."

"What will happen now that this barrier is down?" Pyrrha questioned.

"We could possibly see more 'visitors' from Earthland or other places." Ozpin hypothesized. "However, to my knowledge Natsu is the only being to have ever crossed the barrier and survived. He is an anomaly."

All of these questions posed by her friends, while valid, meant nothing to Weiss. Now that she had confirmation of Natsu's history, she needed to know if Raven's other revelation was true.

"Is he **really** still alive?" she asked.

"He is, but-"

"I don't care about the rest." The heiress interjected. "As long as Natsu is alive I will stay. The moment we get him back, I'm returning home."

Her friends were shocked by her sudden declaration. Especially Ruby.

"But, Weiss-"

"I'm sorry, Ruby." Weiss apologized. "It truly is good to see all of you again, really, but I have no interest in being drafted into this war. You saw what happened during the Fall. This Salem person is much more dangerous than anything we've ever faced before. Beacon was a mere stepping stone for her. She won't stop. If you truly need me I will fight beside you, but as long as I know Natsu is out there alone I will only be a liability. I cannot allow that to happen because I would be putting all of you in danger. So, until my brother is safe I can't, in good conscience, fight this battle with you. Please understand."

Weiss was right and Ruby knew it, no matter how much she wanted to argue.

Stopping Salem was important, there was no doubt of that, but so was rescuing Natsu. As long as he was with them Ruby couldn't fight at full strength. The fear of hurting, or possibly killing, her friend would always temper her blade. That was no way to fight. She knew the others felt the same.

"I understand."

"I'm sorry."

Ruby smiled at her partner. "Don't be. We'll get him back. I promise."

Weiss nodded with a smile of her own. "Thank you, Ruby."

"Then that settles it." Yang stood up from her seat. "If Ruby and Weiss are staying, then I will too. Somehow, Ruby always finds out the right thing to do. That being said, if you want us to **keep** risking our lives, then the secrets stop here. No more lies and no more misdirection."

"Agreed."Ozpin accepted.

"Good." Yang returned to her seat, a pleased smile on her lips.

"So…what do we do now?" wondered Jaune.

"It's gotten late." Ozpin said. "We can discuss our next course of action tomorrow. For now, continue enjoying one another's company. It's been far too long since you all have had a moment like this. Be sure to make the most of it."

With those final words spoken, Ozpin returned to Oscar control of his body.

"That never gets easier." He grumbled.

"Who wants to play Great War?!" Ruby exclaimed. "I call Vale!"

"I'll be Mistral." Ren spoke up.

"Oh! Oh! Let me be Vacuo! Please?!" Nora begged.

"Then I guess I will be Atlas." Pyrrha added.

Ruby went to look for the game board.

As the group sat around the table awaiting her return, Yang pulled Weiss aside.

"Can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

"Um, ok. Sure."

The pair snuck away to the balcony, making sure to make as little noise as possible.

"What is it, Yang? Why all the secrecy?"

"Ozpin." The blonde stated flat. "What do you think about him?"

Weiss looked over her shoulder to Oscar. The young man was currently laughing at the faces Nora was making at the table, apparently she was telling some sort of story.

"He's **shorter** than I remember."

"I'm being serious. Do you really believe anything he told us in there? I mean about the maidens and stuff?"

"I don't know, but after everything that we've seen and heard in the last twenty-four hours, anything is possible. What brought this on?"

"It's something Raven said before we left. Remember? She told us 'trust no one and question everything'."

"No offense, but your mother is not someone I would associate with honesty."

"You're right, but she's not dumb. Everything she told us turned out to be true. Even the stuff about Natsu. I mean you saw her face after she showed us her transformation. Did that look like the face of someone who **chose** to do that to themselves?"

Weiss pondered this for a moment. It made sense. She remembered seeing a hint of uneasiness in Raven's eyes after showing them that form.

"I see your point, but what do you propose we do? Confront Ozpin?"

"Not yet." Yang denied. "We should just need to be careful around him for the time being. Even though he said he wouldn't hide anything anymore, I have this feeling that there's still stuff he's still not telling us."

"Do we tell the others?"

"We can tell Ruby later. For now we should keep this between us."

Just then Qrow walked into the common area with a bottle of beer in hand. He saw the girls in the window and waved to them.

They waved back.

"We need to be careful around Qrow too." Yang whispered.

* * *

Ruby Rose lay on her back, the dawn eroding the shadows created by the night. Exhausted with Crescent Rose at her side, she watched a quartet of birds circling overhead. She'd been focused on them for a while, eventually naming them after herself and her team.

For nearly an hour they soared in the burning orange expanse. From what the real Ruby could tell from their chirping they seemed to be happy. She didn't know for sure. She didn't speak bird. Ren did though. She would ask him later.

Slowly but surely "Blake" moved further and further away from the group. Eventually she had flown away completely, leaving the others behind.

"You're up early."

Ruby titled her head back, watching as Yang approached from the doors leading into the common area of the house.

"Hey, sis." she greeted with a smile. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Standing over her younger sibling, Yang tickled her nose with the ends of her golden locks before sitting next to her.

Ruby sat up.

"I couldn't sleep." she revealed. "So I thought I'd get some training done."

"I can see that much."

The sisters looked around the balcony. Strewn about were rose petals, bullet holes, and wooden dummies sliced to ribbons.

"You really did a number on the place." Yang commented. "Something on your mind?"

Ruby looked to the sky. The birds were now gone.

"It's nothing. What about you? You're never up this early."

"Same as you. I couldn't get back to sleep."

"This is why coffee was created." Weiss interjected.

She came carrying a tray that held three hot cups of coffee. Yang grabbed one of them.

"You're the best."

"Clearly." The heiress replied through a smug grin as she sat on the other side of Ruby.

While Yang graciously accepted the pick me up, Ruby recoiled at the smell of it. She never cared much for coffee.

"Stop making faces." Weiss scolded. "I made sure to put disease inducing amounts of cream and sugar in yours. Here."

Ruby's eyes lighting up at the prospect of a sugary coma, she grabbed the second cup from the tray with a smile and a low "Yay".

The trio watched the sun climb higher and higher into the sky above them. It was a truly wonderful sight.

"Where's Qrow?" Yang asked.

"I think he went into town to look for more Huntsmen." her sister answered. "That usually takes all day so he probably won't be back until tonight."

Yang and Weiss exchanged skeptical glances. Ruby didn't notice.

"I always thought about travelling outside of Vale, but I didn't think it would happen until **after** graduation." Ruby said as she sipped her coffee.

"Me too." Said Weiss. "I just wish the circumstances were better. Though I am glad to see the both of you again."

"I can drink to that." Yang smiled.

She and Weiss clinked their mugs together and took another drink.

Ruby downed her coffee and looked into the bottom of the mug, her morose reflection slightly obscured by the drops that remained.

"I wish Blake could be here." She said mournfully.

There was a brief silence.

"She made her choice."

Ruby was shocked by her sister's words. Weiss said nothing, instead taking a sip from her cup as Yang continued.

"She could have been here with us if she **wanted** to be, but she's not. She ran off. But it doesn't matter. We're fine without her."

There was a bitterness in the blonde's voice. One mixed with disappointment, anger, and a hint of sadness as well. But it wasn't like she didn't have a reason to feel this way.

Ruby turned to Weiss, but the heiress remained silent, hers still on the horizon.

"You guys don't want her here?"

"This is not about me." Weiss responded calmly.

"Is there a reason we **need** her here?" Yang rebutted.

Ruby's eyes glanced over her sister's prosthetic. "Are you still mad at her for leaving?"

"No~." she said facetiously as she raised her metal arm. "I'm perfectly fine. Why? Do I look mad to you?"

"Yang-"

"What?!"

When Yang turned to her sister again, her eyes were blood red.

"Your eyes." Weiss said apprehensively, pointing to her own.

Yang realized what was happening and took a breath, her real arm shaking as her eyes returned to their normal purple hue. She then promptly stood up and headed for the door.

"Yang-"

"Just…leave me a lone for a bit, ok?"

Without another word, Yang returned to the house.

* * *

Yang had yet to release the framed photo in her hand as she sat alone in the room she shared with her sister.

The picture was of Team RWBY, with the words "New Friends!" scribbled in the bottom left corner.

It was taken not long after the team announcement ceremony. Natsu was **supposed** to be the one to take the picture, but after nearly thirty minutes of fumbling around with the camera – including him taking multiple selfies on accident – Velvet Scarlatina thankfully stepped in and snapped the photo.

For the briefest of moments, a small smile found its way onto Yang's face.

She and Ruby were their usual excited selves, Weiss' smile was much more a courtesy than anything genuine, and Blake was clearly uncomfortable but did her best to hide it with an uncomfortable grin.

The picture perfectly encapsulated their group dynamic during those early days.

It was astounding just how much they had all changed in those few months after the picture was taken. None of them were the same young women eager to become Huntresses. The fact that Yang still had two flesh and blood arms in the picture was just one of the **many** changes between them.

Lost in thought, she hardly noticed the light knocking on the door.

"Ruby, I said leave me alone. I'm not ready to talk about-"

She stopped when she realized that it was that Weiss had come to see her instead of her sister.

"What?" Yang demanded. "Did you come here to lecture me about 'forgiving Blake'? If so you can save it."

The heiress didn't respond. Instead she simply sat on the bed across from Yang and looked at her. Her expression was blank, waiting to be painted by whatever Yang had to say.

With a rough sigh, the blonde understood and started to vent.

"Look, I know Blake is our teammate…our **friend** , but...I can't just forgive her that easily. It's harsh. It's selfish. I know that but I can't help it. I don't think you know what's it like to be left behind by people you care about. Your family's **huge**. They go to recitals and watch you perform. You all ate fancy dinners together. I've never had it that easy. Raven abandoned me. Summer died. Dad was too busy with teaching to be there as much as he wanted, and Ruby was too young to talk, much less take care of herself. Everything fell on **me**. **I** had to keep things together by myself, or it would all fall apart."

Weiss' expression remained unreadable. It was like talking to a wall. Yang was starting to getting irritated.

"You not gonna say anything?"

"If you really want me to. I will."

Yang held out her hand as if to give permission.

"Very well." Weiss obliged. "I'll tell you a story. When I was ten years old…my father **finally** admitted to my mother that his only reason for marrying her was for the Schnee Family name."

Yang's eyes went wide.

"It was quite the eventful birthday. Everything happened so fast. He missed the big dinner the servants had prepared, my mother was furious, and he just **snapped**. When I look back on it now, I think part of me always knew. I **know** my mother did. After that day the atmosphere in the house changed completely. Separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals, and a few glasses of wine here and there to loosen the tension. Time passed and the family dinners became scarce, there were less appearances at recitals, and those few glasses...turned into bottles."

"I'm sorry." Yang apologized. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"It's fine. It wasn't all bad. After my parents' fight I remember running to my room, tears streaming down my cheeks like a leaky faucet. I buried my face in my pillow and kept crying until I heard a knock at my door." She smiled sadly. "In walks Natsu with this ugliest cake I had ever seen. There was frosting everywhere, including his face, and the candles and strawberries at the top were sliding off, but he somehow managed to stop them from falling off completely. When I asked what he was doing he said to me: 'Duh, it's your birthday. We gotta celebrate with cake and presents!'."

She reached to the tiara that held her ponytail in place.

"That was the day I got this."

Yang smiled softly. Weiss' however, started to fade.

"When he died…I felt a lot of emotions. But mostly I think I was angry."

"Yeah. I can imagine." Yang nodded. "I was mad at Cinder too."

"I'm not talking about her. I was angry at **Natsu**."

This confused her friend.

"But why?"

"Pyrrha told me when she and Natsu fought Cinder at the top of Beacon Tower, things didn't go too well. Cinder was too powerful for the both of them to beat. So to even the odds…Natsu ate dust."

Once again Yang's eyes went wide.

"I couldn't believe it. The last time he did that he was in the hospital for a week, he nearly died **then**. I made him **promise** me not to do it again, but he **lied** to me. And because of that he…he-" she started to tear up.

"But he's alive now." Yang reminded. "Ruby and the others said so."

"That doesn't make it ok!" Weiss shouted, now crying. "If he had just listened to me he would be here with us instead of..."

She wiped the tears from her eyes and composed herself as best she could.

"I'm sorry." she sniffed. "I didn't mean to overtake the conversation. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I may not know loneliness like **you** do, I still know how it feels. That big house, those recitals, those lavish dinners. There were only bearable because Natsu was with me. Just as I'm sure those things you had to do were possible because you knew Ruby depended on you. You didn't want her to experience the loneliness you did."

Yang looked away, an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Blake, like us, has her own version of loneliness as well."

Yang shot her a look.

"Don't glare at me like that. I'm not taking her side. When we first found out she was a faunus, she promised she'd let us know when something was bothering her. She broke it. So like you, I can't forgive her. At least not yet. But while I don't **agree** with what she did, I can **understand** it."

"How?" Yang questioned. "She had **me**. **All** of us were here for her! She had no reason to run!"

"Do you really think that?"

"What?"

"Blake was **always** afraid to open up." Weiss explained. "She tried so hard to keep her past a secret in order to protect us and everyone else at Beacon, but the moment she finally let down those walls around her heart, all of her fears came surging in through the school gates. Beacon was destroyed, Natsu and Penny were killed, and your arm was-"

"But no one blamed her for that!" Yang blurted out. "She should have talked to us! We couldn't help her if we didn't know what was wrong! We needed her! **I** needed her!"

Yang started to sob. Weiss moved beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I know. I feel the same. Not just about Blake, but Natsu as well. But the only thing we can do now is wait for them to come back."

Yang wiped away her tears. " **If** they come back."

"They will." Weiss said firmly. "Next to Natsu and Winter, you three are the only ones I can truly call my family. Even more so than my father and younger brother. I'm sure Blake feels the same. When she's ready she'll be back. As for Natsu, he's way too stubborn to let some old witch tell him what to do. So we'll be here for them when they get back, and give them a piece of our minds."

Yang wiped away the last of her tears and grinned at her friend. "Damn right."

Just then another knock came at the door. It creaked open, revealing a nervous Ruby.

"Yang? Are you…?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. I'm ok. Sorry for storming off like that." She brought her sister in for a hug.

Ruby sighed in relief. "I'm just glad everything's better."

"Me too. Now what do you guys say we get something to eat? I wanna see what kind of food Mistral has."

"Good idea." Weiss agreed. "We haven't had a chance to explore the city yet."

"Oh!" Ruby chirped. "I know a great place that Nora took me to a couple of weeks ago!"

"Then lead the way." Yang smiled.

* * *

"Once more."

"Yes, sir!"

Pyrrha charged, her eyes lit aflame as she thrust her sword towards Ozpin.

He evaded, pressing the tip of his cane into the center of her shield and forcing it - along with Prryha - down to the dirt.

She released her shield and rolled forward, Milo changing into its rifle form in the process. She fired at the headmaster's back. He sidestepped.

"Good reaction." He noted.

Pyrrha retrieved Akouo with her Semblance and pulled back her arm, gripping Milo – now in its javelin form – tightly in her fingers. The javelin caught fire and she threw it as hard as she could.

The heat zoomed past Ozpin, fraying the edges of his hair.

 _Watch it!_ Oscar shouted.

Pyrrha moved quickly, holding the edge of her shield to the Headmaster's throat.

"My victory." she said.

"Are you sure?"

Something tapped the redhead's ankle. The moment she looked down, Ozpin tripped her with the tip of his cane.

She fell hard on her rear, eyes crossing when the cane pointed to her nose.

"Looks like this victory is **mine**." Ozpin grinned.

"Are you sure?" Pyrrha returned.

Ozpin felt a pressure on the back of his neck. He turned around, his face dangerously close to the point of Pyrrha's floating javelin.

He smiled and held up his hands.

"I admit defeat."

Pyrrha rose to her feet and recalled her spear to her hands. She then bowed to her teacher, thanking him for the session. He did the same.

"I do believe you're starting to get the hang of your new abilities." he praised.

"Do you really think so?" Pyrrha looked to her hands sullenly. "I'm still not at Cinder's level."

"All things come in time. While it was impressive just how **fast** Cinder was able to master the power, you have been making great strides yourself in an even shorter amount of time. Perhaps you two have had such proficiency in using the Maiden's power because you acquired it in small doses as opposed to all at once."

Pyrrha's faced twisted slightly. She hated having something in common with Cinder of all people, but on the other hand it felt good to know that she was making **some** progress. The attack on Haven was growing ever closer. She needed to be much stronger if she wanted to defeat her rival.

"Professor, I have question."

"Yes?"

"…Why did you choose **me** of all people to be the next Fall Maiden?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't have?"

"Well…while I am very grateful for the faith you placed in me to carry this power…" she looked down to her feet like child that had been scolded. "There must have been hundreds of other more qualified candidates."

"You're right." he admitted. "There were a number of other women I had considered to take Amber's place when she was injured: Professor Goodwitch, Coco Adel, Yang, Winter Schnee, I even considered Ruby; but in the end none of them were worthy for one reason or another. Your strength of character, and drive to protect not only those closest to you, but complete strangers as well made you the ideal successor. So no, Miss Nikos, you weren't the only candidate…" he smiled. "But you were the best."

The smile that etched itself onto the half-Maiden's face was a small one, but thankful nonetheless.

"Thank you, sir…but, I still don't know if I can live up to those expectations."

"Don't worry. You're young. You still have time." He assured with a smile.

He looked to the sun as it set just behind the trees in the forest. His eyes drifting to a nearby waterfall, and an idea crept into his mind.

"Tell me, Miss Nikos, have you ever been to a hot spring?"

* * *

"Whoa~! This place is hu~ge!"

Ruby was amazed, her eyes wide as dinner plates as she looked out to the open-air bath.

As a reward for all their hard work in training, Ozpin brought his students and Qrow to a hot spring located at the top of one of the city's many waterfalls. According to Qrow there were lots of places like this sprinkled throughout Mistral, but the one in the capital city was by far the best.

It was truly a sight to behold for everyone – minus Ren who had been to a hot spring or two when he was child. From the ornate decorations of the inn surrounding the springs, to the friendliness of the staff, the beautifully comfortable kimonos, and everything else in between. It was as if they had stepped into another world entirely.

"Hurry and get changed, Ruby." Yang nagged. "We won't be here forever."

"Ok!"

Ruby bounced back into the changing area and disrobed, placing her kimono in one of the many wicker baskets provided by the Inn.

"I don't think there's any places like this in Vale."

"Nope." Yang stated as she tossed her prosthetic in the basket along with her clothes.

"The sight is certainly breathtaking." Pyrrha commented. She inhaled. "And the air is so clean."

"You can see the whole city from here!" Nora exclaimed.

As her friends voiced their approval of the hot springs, Weiss Schnee stood off to the side.

Wearing nothing but her unmentionables, she uncomfortably covered her chest and thighs, her cheeks burning red from embarrassment.

She had never bathed with girls her age - or really anyone else - before. She remembered Emily bathing her back in Atlas, but that was when she was a small child.

She was never one to be self-conscious about her appearance, but seeing her friend's bodies naked as the day they were born started to create doubts within her mind.

Pyrrha's body was slim and toned to near perfection due to years of intense physical training.

Nora's plump thighs and hips added to her overall appeal.

Yang was a bombshell through and through. Her height, her curves, and her bust – which was the biggest out of the four of them - all highlighted just why she was one of most popular girls in school when they still attended.

Even Ruby's petite frame had its charms – not helped by the fact that her chest had gotten **bigger** than Weiss' in the months they spent apart.

"Remnant to Ice Queen."

Weiss snapped at attention when Yang called out to her. She had lost track of how long she had been staring.

"Are you going to stand there all day in your underwear, or are you gonna hop in like the rest of us?"

The heiress blushed and looked away. "I-I'm not so sure. Bathing with others is…kind of embarrassing."

"Don't worry about it." the blonde waved off. "Ruby and I used to take baths together all the time as kids. It's totally normal. Here. Let me help you out."

"Wait. Yang? What are you-"

With one arm the blonde spun Weiss around as fast as she could.

Her bra and panties flying off in different directions, the heiress screamed in terror as she spun into the bath.

She came up for air with a gasp, her entire body drenched from head to toe, bangs covering her eyes as she spit out a small line of spring water. Her friends giggled.

"Was that really necessary?!" she shouted to Yang.

"Sorry." Yang chuckled as she stepped into water. She slowly started to sink, exhaling deeply until only her head was visible above water. "Mama likes."

"I can feel all of my aches and pains melting away." Pyrrha said languidly.

"Can we stay here forever?" asked Nora, having also been felled by the power of the spring.

Even Weiss had become comfortable, her anger and anxieties having been washed away completely.

Ruby looked over the edge of the spring to the city below. They were so high up that the bright lights of Mistral barely registered in her sight. It was like looking at a colony of fireflies.

She had never been so calm before. She felt that if she blinked it would all fade away in an instant. The beauty and peace would be gone, replaced by the bitter reality that awaited in a little under two months.

Cinder.

Salem.

Natsu.

Soon everything would come to a head in the most dangerous way possible. Could they protect the relic? What would happen if they didn't? Could they bring Natsu back? Would they even survive? These questions carved themselves into her psyche over and over again.

She closed her eyes and let the water soothe her with its warmth. It was best not to think about those things right now.

Completely at one with the spring, Ruby was shocked alive by a sudden assault from behind by her sister.

"Y-yang?!" she shrieked. "What are you doing?!"

The mischievous blonde ran her hands up her sister's body, stopping at her chest.

"You got bigger since I last saw you, didn't you?"

"N-no I didn't!" Ruby squirmed. "Let go!"

"Aw~, my little sister is growing up." She started to tickle her.

"S-stop it!" Ruby laughed. "I-I mean it!"

Weiss placed her hands on her own chest, her cheeks puffing out.

"Size isn't everything." She pouted.

"Did you say something?" Pyrrha asked.

Weiss looked to the redhead's bust – which was almost the same size as Nora's – and pouted even more.

"It's nothing." she quickly replied.

"Someone's having fun."

The quartet turned to the changing area. Standing at the edge were Velvet Scarlatina and Coco Adel.

"What are you guys doing here?!" Ruby exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Glynda sent us to check out how things were going in the other kingdoms since the Fall." Coco answered. "Didn't expect to see you guys here though. Not that I'm complaining."

"I'll say." Yang voiced with a smile as wide her sister's. "It's good to see you."

"You as well." Replied Velvet.

"You cut your hair." Weiss pointed out.

"Y-yes I did." The faunus blushed. "I-I thought it was time for a change."

"I like it." The heiress smiled.

"T-Thank you."

On the men's side of the onsen, the other half of Team CFVY – Yatsuhashi Daichi and Fox Allstair – had also arrived to take a dip in the warm water, though with much less fanfare than their teammates.

Oscar sat awkwardly to the side of the spring, watching as the other guys bathed and talked amongst themselves. Even though he well was aware of Ozpin's plan, he still had trouble bathing in front of other people, especially ones he had just met a couple of weeks ago. Though he did breathe a sigh of relief when he found out that the men and women's baths were separate.

The laughing and chatter from the girl's side steadily grew louder and louder.

"You know…" Qrow began. "If you guys wanted to peek on the girls for a bit, I won't stop ya." He took a sip from the bottle of sake that was sitting on a floating wooden pad next to him. "Though I can't say I'll be responsible for what happens if ya get caught."

Ren continued washing his hair as if he didn't hear the elder huntsmen's suggestion. Yatsuhashi and Fox ignored him as well. Jaune however was staring at the wooden fence that separated the baths.

His mind began to wander. Just beyond that wall was paradise. Weiss Schnee's, pure, alabaster skin; bare for all to see. As well as Yang and Pyrrha. Not to mention the sultry upperclassman Coco and the demure Velvet.

His nose started to bleed. Was is it really so bad to peek for just a second? Qrow had given them permission so it had to be alright. This could be his only chance to experience heaven. Who knew what the future held? For all he knew the fight at Haven would be his last. You only live once! Consequences be damned!

"Jaune."

The blonde looked to Ren, who had just finished washing his hair.

"Whatever you choose to do I will not judge you for it. I just feel the need to remind you that **Nora** is also bathing."

The color left Jaune's cheeks in an instant and his body froze. He had completely forgotten about Nora. If she even caught a **whiff** of him peeking he wouldn't live through the night, let alone until the battle at Haven.

Jaune stood up.

"I think I've been in long enough."

He quickly headed to the changing area and gathered his clothes.

A small grin could be seen on Ren's face.

Qrow turned to Oscar.

"What about you, kid?"

The boy blushed and quickly turned away from Qrow. "N-no way!"

Qrow chuckled to himself as he took another drink.

Meanwhile, on the girls side.

"Spill it, Coco. Yatsuhashi or Fox? Who has the better bod?"

The leader of Team CFVY shrugged her shoulders at Yang.

"I don't know. I never really noticed before. How about we take a look and find out."

The blonde grinned. "I'm down."

"Oh no you're not!" Weiss cried out, her cheeks burning red.

"S-she's right." Nodded Velvet, also embarrassed. "You can't peek on the boys, Coco."

"Why not?" questioned her friend as she pointed her thumb to the wall. "I bet they're thinking the same thing."

"You **know** they are." Yang added.

"Jaune and Ren aren't like that." Pyrrha argued.

"I'll give you Ren." The blonde conceded. "Jaune though...I'm not so sure."

Coco grinned mischievously. "Don't tell me you guys aren't the **least** bit curious about what the boys are packin' down there."

"Absolutely not!" Weiss, Pyrrha, and Velvet fiercely denied.

Nora was laughing so hard that she had sunk underwater.

Ruby rested her head on the rocks, having been lulled to sleep by the sounds of her friends.

* * *

A chorus of crickets sang outside a small cottage a few miles outside the city, away from the conversations being held atop waterfalls.

Inside this quiet place, a young girl diligently washed vegetables as her elder sister cut them, humming a tune all the while.

It had been a good harvest.

"Fill this pail with more water, will you?"

"Ok!" the young girl eagerly grabbed the bucket her sister handed to her and proceeded to the front door with a bounce in her step.

She stopped for a moment in front of a room located close to the front door of the cottage.

It once belonged to her now deceased parents, but for some reason it had been locked for the past number of days.

She looked to her sister, who was still cutting vegetables and slowly turned the knob. Surprisingly it was unlocked.

She hadn't been allowed to enter this room, but now that her sister was occupied, she had a chance to indulge her curiosity and find out why she was forbidden.

A raspy groan echoed in the room as she opened the door.

Inside a lone figure outlined by the light of the moon sat up on the bed in the corner.

She dropped the pail.

"Ginger!"

The elder sister immediately stopped what she was doing and ran to her sister's side.

"Kobi?! What's wrong? What happened?"

The young girl - Kobi - pointed into the dark room. "There's a strange man in our house! Who is he?!"

"I told you not to go in there room didn't I?" her sister - Ginger - scolded.

"I know, but-"

"Grab a wet towel. We'll talk about your punishment later."

"Ok."

With a noticeable slump in her shoulders, Kobi went to wet a towel in the lake, Ginger stepped into the room.

"You should lie back down." she told the stranger, placing a hand on his bandaged head as she placed him back on the bed. "You're burning up. I'll get you some water."

A pair of black eyes at her through a mess of pink hair.

"Wait. Where...where am I?" the young man groaned.

"Mistral." the girl answered.

* * *

 **NEW CHAPTER!**

 **Hot springs are nice right? Wish I could go to one. I know its a cliche in anime so I thought "why not add it to RWBY?" I know the series isn't strictly anime but it shares enough tropes, so why not hot springs? I also think it fits since Mistral is east asian themed.**

 **I realize that I pretty much update this on a monthly basis. Now that I've pointed that out these might come out later. Let's keep our fingers crossed.**

 **I also recently got BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. After getting my ass kicked online several times, I've realized that I'm fairly good with Chie and Yang so they will probably be my mains. I'm also trying to learn Blake and Linne, so we'll see how that goes in the coming days. I expected a lot crying and broken controllers.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	63. In the Dead of Night

It was a still night on the island of Menagerie, and the Belladonna home was deathly quiet.

Ghira sat in his study, going over all of the materials they would need for their operation against Adam and the White Fang. It was proving to be an expensive affair, but the money spent was necessary. Change was never cheap.

In the kitchen, Kali finished putting away the last bits of food that were left over from dinner. Despite the light conversation among the table, the atmosphere was still a solemn one - though that was to be expected. She sighed and started washing dishes.

In the downstairs guest room, Sun was trying to choose which shirt to wear for his and Blake's nighttime recruitment drive. They hadn't had much luck as of late. People had been avoiding them left and right ever since the Ilia crashed Ghira's speech. He understood it, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.

Searching through his bag, he settled on his trademark white button up.

"If it ain't broke…"

In a modestly sized room upstairs, a clock on the wall slowly ticked away. Blake sat still in and old wooden chair, silently turning the pages of her book as the minutes passed. Lying in the bed beside her was an unconscious Neon Katt.

It had been almost two weeks since she had fallen over in the Belldonna's doorstep, her body littered with cuts and bruises. The doctor said that her injuries weren't life-threatening thanks to her aura, but she would still need time to heal from the trauma.

Whenever she returned from town Blake would make it a point to sit at Neon's bedside until dinner - and even a little after - waiting for the moment she would open her eyes. So far her prayers had went unanswered.

Blake blamed herself. It seemed the only thing she was doing right these days.

The only reason Neon was in this condition was because she followed Ilia on behalf of Blake and her family. Another person sacrificed.

Just like Yang and Natsu.

Looking to the clock, Blake saw that it was almost time to leave for town. She fixed Neon's blanket on the bed and exited the room.

"I'll be back soon."

Needing some fresh air before the journey, Blake made her way to the balcony.

When she entered the study her father was gone, but the papers were still half finished on the table. She surmised he either went to the restroom, or was helping her mother with something.

The cool night air hit the young faunus' face as soon as she slid open the glass doors. The smell of various plants tickled her nose as the chirping of bugs rang in her ears.

The lantern lit streets of Kuo Kuana shined through the canopy of the trees as she leaned on the railing.

Unmarred by the advancement of industrial technology in the other lands around Remnant that lead to factories and mines, Menagerie retained its natural beauty. It was admirable in a way, as if they were still being defiant in the face of a world that didn't truly accept them. There was a small bit of pride to take in that Blake thought.

"Blake?! You ready to go yet?!" Sun called from inside the house.

"Coming!"

Pushing off the railing, Blake felt a piece of paper crumple beneath her fingers. Curious, she held it to the lantern hanging behind her. There was a message.

 **B,**

 **Things going too far.**

 **Not sure what to do.**

 **Find a quiet spot,**

 **I'll find you.**

 **Come alone. Please.**

\- **I**

Blake scanned the area. Whoever left the letter was nowhere to be found, though it wasn't like she had to guess who placed it. The handwriting and nicknames used were a dead giveaway.

"Ilia…"

"Blake?!"

"Sorry! I'll be right there!"

She quickly placed the note in her coat and went inside the house.

* * *

The Nocturnal Section wasn't Blake's favorite place on the island. It was a dimly lit area of Menagerie, located on the western most edge of Kuo Kuana. It was were the more…eccentric species of fauni – mostly consisting of sub categories of Phyla and Cordata species - called home.

Faunus, like animals, were typically classified based on their taxonomical classification – among other factors. Most every Faunus in the world were classified as a "Chordata" type, but there were a few cases in the world of arthropod and Mollusca types. Though Blake had never seen either of those.

In the wider world this didn't mean much, Faunus were Faunus as far as the general populace were concerned. Menagerie however, was different.

Aside from the market place – where everyone essentially intermingled – the island had different areas housing different types of Faunus.

Kuo Kuana had the greatest diversity of species, but it was an exception on the island.

The northern tip of the island – past the deserts – was known as the Aviary. It was home to roughly two thirds of the islands Aves – or bird – Faunus. People from there rarely came to Kuo Kuana since the flight across the desert was almost as dangerous as walking through it. Though messengers would descend every now and again to relay messages to Ghira.

The port and the eastern coast were known as The Net, because of the number of amphibious and fish Faunus that lived there.

The Nocturnal Section's – also known as the Cage – placement was intentional. The sun rose in the east, so being in the west meant it took a little longer for the sun to shine on it…even if it was for a few scarce seconds.

Blake never really cared for the smell of the Nocturnal Section. It was Sun's idea to go. The place reeked of alcohol and tobacco. This was mostly due to Menageries more…rugged individuals residing there. The stench made her queasy.

All around there were bars, pubs, and night clubs, each filled with native and touring Faunus alike. Because of her own classification, Blake fit in among the residents of the Cage, but that didn't mean she liked it.

"Isn't that Chieftain Belladonna's daughter?"

"What's she doing out here?"

"I heard she's recruiting people to fight the White Fang."

"Good luck with that. Who's trying to rush to an early grave fighting those lunatics?"

The crowds were another thing she didn't like.

It was clear from the chatter that coming to the Cage for help was a wasted effort. Although Blake already knew that.

"We should take a break."

Sun agreed and followed Blake to a table located close to the water.

The moon shined brilliantly in the cloudless sky, illuminating the clear waters of the ocean. It stretched so far that Blake thought she would lose herself if she looked any longer.

Somewhere across those crystalline waters were her former teammates.

She had no idea where they were, or what they were doing. Part of her wished she could see them, but an even bigger part knew she didn't deserve to. Despite what Sun and Neon had said to her, she couldn't forget - or forgive - the fact that she ran away. She abandoned her friends. There was no excuse for that.

 _"What if I do something in the future that makes you question that promise?"_

 _"I'd still be your friend."_

Would Natsu feel the same if he were alive?

A portion of her thought it was best that he wasn't around for her to ask.

Reaching into her coat, Blake's fingers rubbed against the note Ilia had written for her.

"You alright?" asked Sun, noticing her gloomy expression.

Blake nodded with a small grin. "Yeah. Listen, there's something I need to take care of."

"Cool. I'll go with you-"

"It's nothing major." she quickly said. "You stay here and ask a few more people to join us, ok? I'll be back before you know it."

Sun raised an eyebrow. Something was clearly off.

"You **sure** you don't want me to come?"

Blake smiled wider. "I'm sure."

Sun understood and nodded. "Alright. Be safe."

"You too."

* * *

Blake entered a secluded alleyway close to the marketplace upon leaving the Cage. Feeling a presence shadowing her, Blake called out to it.

"Ilia, come out."

A figure emerged from the darkness. Immediately, Blake drew Gambol Shroud.

Ilia dropped her camouflage, her arms raised in surrender.

"I just wanted to talk. Remember?"

"You can't be too careful." Blake responded.

"I guess you can't. I'm sorry, Blake."

"It's fine. Just tell me what Corsac and Fennec are planning so we can finally put this mess behind us."

"You got the wrong idea. I'm not apologizing for **that**." Ilia clenched her right hand into a fist.

Blake's eyes narrowed. "Ilia, what did you-"

Without warning Yuma descended from the rooftops of the nearby building, his foot burying into Blake's back. The air broke free from her lungs as she fell forward, her body crashing into the ground with a sickening thud as Gambol Shroud slid to Ilia's feet.

Pleased with his ambush, Yuma stepped back and watched Blake struggle to her feet as two more Faunus – a young man with spots on his face and girl with what looked to be roots on her arms and chest - joined him.

"Ili-"

"Maybe you should have a seat."

Spider's silk shot out of the Faunus girl's palm, ensnaring Blake. She yanked back, forcing the former member of RWBY to sit on the ground.

"Well done, Sister Trifa." Yuma praised. "Here you are."

He tossed Ilia her whip.

Blake tried to free herself, but the web was too strong.

"You said you wanted to talk!" she shouted at Ilia.

"I told you that things were going too far. I just wish it didn't have to come to **this**."

"Don't give me that crap!"

"I'm being honest! I wish there was another way, but you and your family are holding our people back!"

"Because we want to protect people?! How is helping the innocent 'holding back' the faunus?"

"Look around you, Blake!" Ilia shouted. "'Innocent'? What meaning does that word even have anymore?! If humans aren't hurting us themselves, they're standing by and watching as we're treated as second class citizens! Are the ones who do nothing while we're oppressed 'innocent'? They're just as guilty as the ones who hunt us! Whether you want to admit it or not, the only way to combat hate is **fear**."

Blake's eyes narrowed in definance.

"Was what you did to Neon your way of 'combating hate'? She's one of us."

Ilia looked away in shame. "…I didn't mean for that to happen."

"It doesn't matter what you **meant** to happen. You still did it. All your 'fear' has gotten you is more hate!"

"Sacrifice **always** comes with a price. It's necessary for the greater good."

"So killing me in the middle of a dark alley is for the 'greater good'? Do you not realize how twisted that is?"

"We're not killing **you**." Ilia revealed. "It's your family we're after."

The color drained from Blake's face.

"You can't!" Once again Blake to break her restraints. "Don't do this, Ilia!"

"I have to! Luckily, you won't have to see it. We're sending you to Mistral. To **Adam**."

Once again horror etched itself onto Blake's face.

"Ilia, please." she begged. "You can't do this. You're not the type of person who-"

"What do you know about me?!" Ilia snapped. "All you ever did was fawn over Adam!"

Blake was confused by Ilia's words.

"The way you used to look at him. I always hated it, but I endured because I was still able to stay by your side. Then one day you just **left**. You **abandoned** the White Fang. Abandoned Adam. Abandoned **me**!" Ilia's eyes started to mist. "And for what?! To become a **Huntress**? What have they ever done for us?!"

Blake looked away. "You don't understand. I left because-"

"Because you fell in love with a human?"

Blake eyes widened.

"Adam told me everything. Natsu Schnee. How could you do that, Blake? After everything their family has done to us! After what happened to my parents and countless other faunus in the dust mines!"

"Ilia, it's not-"

"Why?! Why did it have to be him?! Why did it have to be Adam?!" Her voice cracking, the spots on the chameleon girl's skin turned pink as a tear fell from her eye. "Why couldn't it have been **me**?"

Blake was at a complete loss for words. Ilia had just laid her feelings bare. Years of frustration flooding out at once, and Blake said nothing. In a way it was more hurtful than any number of words.

Ilia wiped her tear away, her eyes turning pink for a moment. She then grabbed Gambol Shroud from the ground.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Yuma, you're with me. You two, take her to docks."

"Ilia, wait!"

Blake called out to her former friend, but she refused to stop walking. Blake shouted her name again, but by this time she was gone, her new destination being the Belladonna home.

"Get up." Trifa yanked on the silk, forcing Blake to her feet.

"Now!"

At Blake's shout, Sun dove from the rooftops as Yuma had earlier, taking down Trifa's partner in one strike.

"Damn traitors!"

Trifa pulled out a knife and lunged at Sun. He blocked with Ruyi and Jingu Bang, disarming her with little effort. Blake - having finally been freed from the silk - spun Trifa around, knocking her out with a swift punch to the jaw.

"Nice one." Sun said.

Blake shook her throbbing hand. "We have to hurry."

"Right."

The pair darted out of the alley and headed toward Blake's home.

"Call the police. I'll try and get ahold of my mom."

"Got it!"

They pulled out their scrolls and made their respective calls. Sun was able to get ahold of the police without much trouble, but Kali had yet to answer her daughter.

"Please, Mom, pick up!"

* * *

A missed call from her daughter was the least of Kali Belladonna's worries. Pinned down on the other side of the coffee table she covered her ears as the violent sounds of gunfire echoed all around her.

It happened so fast. One moment she was enjoying a cup of tea, the next masked White Fang members stormed in and started firing. Luckily for her the guards were stationed nearby to protect her the moment the shots went off.

"Stay down!" shouted the guard. His focus split, he was hit in the arm by one of the intruder's bullets and fell behind the table. He tried to lift his arm, but it was no use.

"Dammit! Lady Belladonna, you have to run! I'll try and fend them off for a little while longer."

"Not with that arm you're not."

Kali reached for his gun.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry. I know my way around these things." She handed him a piece of her dress. "Stay put and cover that wound."

"But-"

Kali started firing before the guard could protest, hitting one of the intruders in the shoulder with deadly accuracy.

"Get out of my house!"

While she wasn't as prominent a member of the White Fang as her husband and daughter, Kali learned a thing or two during her time in the organization. One of them being how to properly shoot a gun.

She managed to take down two more enemies, but five took their place.

"They never stop!" She took cover behind the table as they returned fire. "Ghira!"

On the other side of the door, Kali's husband and a couple of guards fended off more White Fang troops.

No matter how many the Chieftain tossed, bashed, and slammed more appeared in their place. They were seemingly endless.

"There's too many of them!" Yelled one of the guards as he slashed an enemy with his sword.

"I can hold them off!" Ghira declared. "You two protect my wife and Neon! Go now!"

"Yes, sir!"

As the guards started their retreat, they were both shot in the back. Ghira caught one in his arms, but his body had already gone limp.

With look of shame, the Chieftain gently placed the young man on the floor. His anger now at it's peak, he looked to the attackers standing in the doorway.

The Albain brothers had finally arrived.

"I believe it's time our Chieftain **resign** , Brother." Corsac insinuated with a sly grin.

"Yes, Brother." Fennec agreed as he lowered the weapon he used to strike down the guards - a gold dagger with a blade that was glowing crimson. "I'm afraid that it is."

Ghira's claws sharpened and he threw off his coat, letting out a mighty roar that echoed throughout the house.

* * *

Kali heard her husband's roar but she couldn't move. The White Fang still had her trapped.

"Just hang on a little longer for me, ok?"

She tried to assure the soldier at her side that they would make it, but he was fading fast. He'd lost too much blood already. His face was white and his body was starting to go limp. It wouldn't be long before he passed out, or worse, **died** from his injuries.

Kali attempted to fire, but the gun had run out of ammo. She turned to the guard to ask for ammo. He was barely conscious.

"No. No. No! Come on! Stay with me!"

She tried shaking him awake but it was no use, he wasn't responding.

"This is the end of the line for you, traitor."

Kali heard a click and turned around, coming face to face with the barrel of a gun. Her eyes slowly widened and her heart stopped.

The soldier slowly pulled the trigger, but before the bullet was let loose from the chamber a rainbow streak sent him flying back.

Kali watched awestruck as the streak incapacitated the other soldiers in quick succession. When it finally stopped, a bandaged girl with long orange hair and a tail stood amongst the unconscious bodies.

"Neon?!"

The girl looked over her shoulder with a weak smile.

"That was some party. Huh, Mrs. B?"

Kali ran to the girl when she saw her stumble, catching her just before she hit the ground.

"You're still injured. What are you doing out of bed? "

"I heard the shooting and came running. What's happening?"

"The White Fang." Kali grimaced. "Those nasty Albains came storming in with troops and started firing. Ghira's trapped in the main hall, but I can't get to him with all these soldiers around."

"Where are Blake and Sun?"

"I don't know." Kali said, her voice drowned in worry. "They went recruiting in the Nocturnal Section a little while ago. I hope they're alright."

"Don't worry, Mrs. B." Neon assured. "Those two are tough. I'm sure they're on their way back right now."

Kali nodded with a small smile. "You're right. We just have to have faith." She brought Neon over to the wounded guard.

"We have to get this man some help right away. He was shot trying to protect me. Do you think you can run him to the hospital?"

"Yeah, but what about you?"

Kali grabbed two guns from the fallen soldiers. "I'm going to find my husband."

"I'm afraid we can't allow that."

The sound of flapping wings drew Kali and Neon's attention upward. Yuma floated above them, landing neatly on the balcony railing of the second floor. He crossed his arms and looking down his nose at the pair with a smug grin.

"Great. This guy again." Neon grabbed her aching ribs, her body remembering what put her in this state to begin with.

"You're staying put right here." Yuma declared.

"Like hell we are."

Kali pointed her guns to bat boy. When she heard the crack of a whip she turned, keeping one weapon on Yuma as Ilia entered the room.

Electricity crackled around her weapon as she dragged it on the floor, the sound ringing in the sensitive ears of both Neon and Kali.

There was remorse in Ilia's eyes, but not enough to deter her.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, but you didn't give us any other choice."

* * *

Running full speed down the main road, Blake and Sun could see the former's home in the distance. There was smoke rising from the top.

"That doesn't look good!" Sun commented.

"I know!" Blake snapped. "We have to move faster!"

The pair were a few paces away from the front door when their path was suddenly blocked by a giant spider's web.

From the shadows appeared Trifa, having recovered from Blake's right hook in the alley. "You can't interfere!" she shouted, grabbing her knives.

Sun drew his weapons as well.

"We **both** can't waste time here." He said to Blake. "I'll distract her and you book it to the house."

"No way." Blake refused, even without Gambol Shroud she was prepared to fight. "If we're going, we're going **together**. I'm not leaving you."

"Remember that thing I said about letting your friends help you? Now would be a good time to try it out."

"But-"

"I'll be fine. It's just one crazy spider chick. I've handled worse."

"What if more soldiers show up?"

"Then I'll run. Only thing that matters now is helping your family."

Blake thought about this for a moment before giving a short nod.

"Alright. You win. I'll follow your lead."

Sun grinned. "Wow. Never thought I'd hear that."

"Don't get used to it." Blake returned with a grin of her own.

Trifa charged.

Blake advanced to meet her.

The spider girl attacked, only for her blades to slash into a puff of shadow.

"What?!"

Her vision blocked, Trifa failed to notice Sun's clones appear on either side of her. They grabbed her arms and held her down on the ground.

"Dammit! Let go of me!"

One of Sun's clones grabbed one of Trifa's knives and tossed it to Blake. "Go now!"

Blake cut through Trifa's web.

"You better make it back in one piece." she told Sun.

"Got it. Now get going."

"Thank you, Sun."

Blake rushed home.

* * *

Ghira's large hands were full with the Albain Brothers and the handful of soldiers they had brought with them. For the most part the chieftain was holding his own, using his surprising quickness to outmaneuver the mob while tossing them around with his incredible strength as if they were children; but his body wasn't what it used to be. He couldn't keep this pace up forever.

 _I can't let this drag on any longer. I have to get to Kali and Neon._

A female soldier advanced on him with spear in hand. He intercepted the attack, lifting the girl from the ground and tossing her into Fennec before snapping the weapon over his knee like a twig.

Corsac pointed his dagger at Ghira, the blade glowing red.

Ghira grabbed the broken spear head and prepared to launch it straight into the villain's chest.

Both let loose their attacks, Corsac's blast hitting Ghira in the shoulder while the chieftain's spear pinned him to the wall by his hood.

"Brother!"

Fennec readied his weapon next. Unlike his brother's, his glowed white, summoning a strong gust of wind.

Ghira covered himself, the force of the wind funnel sliding him back a few feet.

Completely focused on the enemies before him, the chieftain was oblivious to the soldier taking cover behind one of the broken pillars in the room.

Assault rifle in hand, the soldier aimed for Ghira's head. His finger wrapping around the trigger, he was suddenly knocked out by a kick from Blake - who crashed into the house through the side window.

"Blake?! When did you-"

"Look out!"

Blake leapt over her father and made beeline for the Albains - Corsac having rejoined his brother during the commotion.

The brothers stood side by side, their weapons pointed towards Ghira.

Before they could unleash their combined attack, Blake landed between. The brother's attempted to stab her instead, but she used a clone to fool them. Ghira then knocked the both of them out with hard punches to their heads.

The danger having passed for the moment, Ghira hugged his daughter tight.

"I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Me too." she strained. "Where's Mom?"

"I don't know. She has to still be somewhere in the house."

"I'll go find her. Keep an eye on these two?"

"Of course. Be careful!"

You too!"

Blake moved deeper into the house, taking out more soldiers along the way.

Her search brought her to the meeting hall.

Sitting on the balcony railing of the upper floor was Ilia. When she saw Blake enter she put on her mask and stood up.

"I knew you'd make it here eventually."

"I don't have time for this, Ilia." Blake dismissed. "Where are my mother and Neon?!"

"The cat girl is playing with Yuma in the other room." Ilia pointed her thumb to the door on Blake's right. "Your mom is right here."

Ilia grabbed a tied up and gagged Kali from the floor and showed her to Blake.

"Mom!"

Kali's muffled shouts echoed in her daughter's ears.

"Let her go!" Blake demanded. "This is between you and me, Ilia!"

"I agree." Ilia drew her weapon, then tossed Gambol Shroud to Blake.

"We end it here. Just you and me."

* * *

 **Lost my mailbox key the other day. Have no idea HOW that happened, but that was nice revelation. Guess its divine though. I recently ordered volumes 1 and 4 of RWBY (for some reason I have the others but not those) so at least I know they're safe in my box for a couple of days.**

 **This might be one of the shorter chapters in the entire story, but I really wanted to split up the fight in Menagerie into two parts. Bunching it together would have been a bit much. Also Happy Belated 5th Birthday, RWBY (5th Anniversary of the series was a couple days ago). Hopefully we'll get some info on V6 soon. I would have to get blindsided with ANOTHER late character reveal that throws my story off *cough* WHITLEY *cough*.**

 **As always leave a comment/review letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)**


	64. Revolution and Resolution

No matter how hard Sun Wukong shook his hands, the webbing around them refused to loosen.

"Ok. This is a **lot** more annoying than I thought it was going to be."

In retrospect, he should have expected this. Of **course** a spider would use webbing during a fight, he just didn't expect her to web his weapons and steal them…or web his hands together.

"Normally, I'd tie you up and be done with it." Trifa's voice echoed in the shadows. "But I'll make an exception this time."

"You know, you'd be way cuter if you didn't try so hard to be a scary bad girl."

A knife whizzed past Sun's face, grazing his cheek. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I wonder how long it will take you to suffocate after I web your mouth shut." threatened Trifa.

"That was clo-whoa!"

A second knife appeared, then a third, and a fourth. Each one narrowly missing the agile monkey boy. He leapt into the air, finally seeing his foe hiding in a nearby tree.

"Gotcha!"

He pushed off a nearby light pole, but just when he was in range, a blade flashed in the moonlight. The curve closing in on his eye, Sun violently arched back in mid-air, the knife taking a few strands of his hair with it as it passed over his face. He managed to right himself by catching his tail on pole.

"Where did that come from?!"

Two more knives cut towards him.

Sun tried leaping from the pole, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Ah! Crap!"

One of the blades cut into his leg, throwing him off balance. He fell in front of Trifa's tree, the spider girl's superior smirk as plain as day.

She reached to the pouches on her legs, pulling out six more knives. She let them drop from her hands, holding them aloft with strings of webbing.

"End of the line, little monkey."

"Yep." Sun sighed as he rose to his feet. "This is going to be super annoying."

* * *

Kali Belladonna watched from the second floor, her face twisted in horror, as her daughter engaged Ilia in battle.

Desperately she struggled to break the restraints placed on her by Ilia, but they only seemed to get tighter the more she moved about.

Nothing about this was right. Her beautiful home had become a battlefield, and her beloved husband and daughter were fighting for their lives while she watched. If she weren't so angry about it all she would have cried.

The sight of the battle below her broke her heart. Ilia was so young, but she had already seen so much death and despair. When Blake told her and Ghira Ilia's story she was nearly brought to tears.

Blake's situation was no better.

Kali thought attending Beacon would keep her away from this kind of life; that should would be free of all the pain and suffering she endured under the White Fang. But the Fall proved that none of them could run from their past. Especially Blake.

All Kali could do now was pray for the safety of her family.

Ilia's sword pierced another shadow.

Gambol Shroud flew through the air.

With a tug it moved for Ilia's neck.

She deflected it with her whip.

Blake appeared from the shadows, her boot hitting Ilia's face. A clone felt the counter.

Ilia had never beaten Blake in a one on one fight. It made sense. Behind Adam, Blake was the best fighter in their squad. Every spar was the same. Ilia would try her hardest to land a hit, and Blake would put her on her back without trying. It angered her to no end, because deep in her heart she knew Blake had never gone all out against her in any match they had.

Tonight was no different.

"Take this seriously!" Ilia demanded, spitting blood.

Blake stayed in the shadows, refusing to respond to Ilia's screams. Even when her old friend began thrashing about, destroying furniture in an effort to find her, Blake remained. She told Ilia that she didn't want to fight, and so far she had adhered to that decree.

Her main objective was a simple one: find an opening and rescue her mother from captivity. After that she would go to Neon.

Fighting was secondary, but that didn't mean she wasn't tempted.

When Ilia moved far enough from the staircase Blake finally made her move.

She hopped from the couch she was hiding behind and kicked from the table in the center of the room towards the railing of the second floor.

"No you don't!"

Ilia's whip extended in a flash, the point aimed for Blake's head.

A stone clone saved her life, but only for the moment.

The whip angled at the moment of impact, stabbing Blake in the stomach and sending a shock through her body. Kali's muffled cries barely reached her daughter's ears as she crashed through the table.

Ilia pressed her foot on Blake's wound, ignoring her screams of pain.

"Why didn't you just run away?!" She shouted, her eyes starting to mist. "I kept telling you to leave! I told you I didn't want this! Over and over again I told you, but you didn't listen! You **never** listen!" She dug her heel in further. "Why couldn't you just do what someone tells you for once?!"

 _"You've never been the type of person to back away from a challenge."_

Yang's words from Mountain Glenn replayed in her mind.

 _"That's all I've done! It's the only thing I can do…Running is the only thing I'm good at."_

She didn't like her response, but it was the truth.

 _"Running again? Is that what you've become, my love? A coward?"_

No matter what he had become, somehow Adam could always see the truth in her eyes. It's what she truly was.

 _"I didn't see anything."_

 _"Then why did you run off?"_

She still hadn't told Sun what she had seen in that tent. She didn't know if she could.

 _"I fell and-"_

 _"Got right back up and brought yourself back. Not many people can say the same, and even fewer can face those demons more than once."_

She grabbed Ilia's ankle as her father's words spurned her forward.

 _"Your friends fight for you because they want to. Not because they have to. So stop trying to push us away."_

Sun made her tighten the grip.

 _"So let's take back the White Fang. Not just for the world, but for Natsu and our friends as well."_

Because of Neon she started to rise.

 _"You don't have to stop…just slow down."_

Because of Yang she found strength.

 _"If you really want to make up for all the bad stuff you did in the White Fang, then all you needa do is move forward…No point in dwelling on things you can't change. Just leads to a bunch of heartache and regret."_

Natsu reignited her fire.

Ilia could see the flash of light in Blake's eyes. It frightened her.

"Why? Why won't you just stay down?!" She yelled.

"Because I've run away too much."

Blake forced Ilia's weight from her grabbed Gambol Shroud.

Her strength returning she leapt towards the back wall, turning out the lights in the room with a slide of the switch.

"You think you hide from me in the dark?!" Ilia illuminated her whip, the crackling electricity buzzing in Blake's ears. "I'm going to find you!"

When Blake started to move. Ilia struck. Her whip connected with a shadow.

That moment Blake sprung to the upper level, finally reaching her mother.

"Blake!" Ilia roared. "I thought you were done running! Come down here and fight me!"

"Dad is in the foyer." Blake told her now freed mother. "I'll cover you."

"But what about Neon?" Kali worried.

"I find her, but first…" she looked to Ilia. "I have to finish this. Go."

"Ok. Be careful."

Ilia saw Kali run down the stairs and began to move.

"Melia."

Ilia stopped and turned her full and turned to Blake. Even in the darkness of the room she could still see her thanks to the brief light provided by the moon.

Their positions having been reversed since the start of the battle, she now stood on the floor looking up to her former friend. She could see there was no longer any reluctance in Blake's eyes. She was finally ready.

"Deadly Nightshade."

* * *

Ghira finished rounding up the remaining White Fang soldiers – the ones that were still alive anyway - and placed them against wall.

He let out a rough sigh as he saw the broken remains of the foyer.

"Why do things always have to end like this?"

Despite his massive frame, Ghira hated fighting. That didn't mean he wasn't capable, he just much preferred using words than violence to accomplish his goals. That was always where he differed with Sienna Khan - and by extension, Adam Taurus. Violence may have felt better, but it was only a temporary solution, and it that always created more problems than it solved. The state of his home was a testament to this.

He thought he had left this life behind, but it somehow always managed to catch up with him one way or another. Whether it be his own daughter temporarily joining Adam and Sienna's crusade, or what was currently happening to his home. No matter how much time passed, Ghira Belladonna and his family would find themselves tied to the White Fang. He finally accepted that.

The Albain brothers were placed in the corner near the front door, neither having moved since the chieftain had knocked them out nearly thirty minutes ago. Once this was all over he would personally see them both incarcerated for the rest of their lives.

"Ghira!"

"Kali?!"

Hearing his wife's voice the chieftain spun around as fast as he could, catching her as she jumped into his arms.

"I'm so glad you're safe." she cried. "I was so worried."

"Me too." He hugged her tighter. "Where's Blake? Did she come with you?"

"She's fighting with Ilia." Kali pulled back, her eyes misting as she looked up to her husband. "Ghira, we have to stop them! I saw the look in Blake eyes, she's serious about this. They'll kill each other. And then there's Neon-"

"Calm down, honey."

"How can I be calm?!" She screamed. "Blake is-"

Ghira placed his hand over his wife's mouth, silencing her. "I promise I won't let either of them die." he said calmly "But we can't help them if we're in a panic."

"But, Ghira-"

A knock came at the door. Ghira quickly slid his wife behind his back.

The banging grew louder. Ghira readied his claws to pounce on whatever came through.

The doors swung open and to the surprise of the chieftain and his wife Sun was on the other side, carrying an unconscious girl with short gray hair on his shoulder. He placed her in the doorway before wiping off the strands of webbing from his arms and pants.

"Remind me never to piss off spiders." He grumbled. When he saw the Belladonna's he smiled and waved. "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. B!"

"Sun!" Kali exclaimed with a smile. "It's good to see you safe."

Ghira rolled his eyes. "Wonderful."

"Where's Blake?" the monkey boy asked.

"She's-"

"Look out!"

Ghira suddenly snatched his wife back to his side, turning away as a blade scratched against his back.

"Ghira!"

"I'm fine!" He winced. Ignoring the blood dripping from the wound. "Are you-"

"I'm ok."

"It seems I missed, brother."

"Do not worry. We'll have plenty more chances to dispose of them."

Corsac and Fennec stood across from Sun and Ghira, their weapons at the ready.

"Oh great! These guys are still around?" Sun complained.

Ghira's eyes fell to the sliced rope on the floor behind the brothers. It wasn't hard to tell how they broke free. The real question was how long they were waiting to make their move.

"Kali. Stay behind me."

Kali nodded and remained behind her husband and Sun.

"Be careful."

Sun grabbed Ruyi and Jingu Bang from his back pocket as Ghira's claws sharpened.

"Let's see you prove your worth, boy." The Chieftain said to him.

"I won't let ya down."

"You better not."

* * *

No words had been exchanged as blades clanged inside the darkened meeting room. It was better that way. Talking would only make this more complicated than it had to be. Anything they had to say could be answered by their weapons.

Ilia raced for the light switch. Blake yanked her back to the middle of the room with Gambol Shroud's ribbon.

Ilia activated her whip. Blake tightened her grip on the ribbon.

If they were even in close quarters, then distance would determine which one was better.

The tip of their weapons hits one another over and over in a dazzling yet dangerous dance that encompassed the entire room.

Blake slowly stepped forward. The moment there was an opening she charged.

"Idiot!"

Ilia quickly changed her whip to its sword form. She aimed to pierce straight through Blake's face, but moment the point of her sword touched Blake she turned to ice.

"What?!"

Blake appeared next to her and raised her sword.

Ilia broke the ice with an electric bolt and quickly slashed through her enemy.

Blake burst into flames.

Before Ilia realized what happened, Blake exploded, sending her into the air.

The real Blake appeared above, sending Ilia rocketing back to Earth with a swing of her sheathed blade.

Breaking through a pillar, Ilia was nearly rendered unconscious when she hit the wall. Blake stood over her, katana pointed downward.

Deadly Nightshade.

Blake always hated that name. Mostly because Adam had given it to her.

Reference to poisonous plant aside, Deadly Nightshade was a state of being for Blake. When completely focused on battle almost nothing could stop her. It was like she became a different person. Cold, but not ruthless. Brutal, but never cruel. Always aiming to hurt, but to never injure. Not unless her opponent deserved it.

"Melia."

Unlike Blake, Ilia embraced her moniker. Melia - short for Melia Azedarach - was a plant whose fruit was poisonous to humans, but fine for animals.

This suited Ilia perfectly.

A "fruit" to lure humans in because she could pass for them, only for her poison to lead them to their demise. Another one of Adam's "gifts".

The chameleon stiffened, holding her breath as Blake spoke to her.

"Aren't you tired of all this senseless fighting? It won't accomplish anything. Look around. All this is doing is making things worse."

The longer Blake talked the more Ilia's rage festered.

"I know you don't want to do this. You're a **good** person. Please just-"

"Shut up!"

Ilia shot up and launched her whip. It bounced from Gambol Shroud's sheathe to a curtain on the upper floor, setting it on fire. Ilia finally gained the light she had sought.

"Stop lecturing me!" she yelled. "You used to see things the same way Adam and I did! You **know** this is the only way! If the humans are going to continue attacking us, then we have no choice but to fight back!"

"You're wrong."

Ilia threw her arm as hard as she could, tear stinging her eyes. Once again her whip passed through a shadow clone.

Shots from the upper rafters gave away Blake's position. Ilia swatted them away with ease.

"You're mine!"

She readied her whip, but something was wrong. It wouldn't move.

"What?"

Her weapon was frozen. In her rage she hadn't noticed Blake fired ice dust.

Gambol Shroud's ribbon wrapped around Ilia's wrist, snatching her into the air.

Blake pounced, her foot burying into Ilia's abdomen.

With a tug the ribbon wrapped around the girl's body, holding her in place as Blake landed on top of her on the ground.

"Let go of me!"

No matter how hard she thrashed, Ilia couldn't loosen the ribbon. In fact it seemed to get tighter the more she moved.

"It's over." Blake said to her. "You've lost."

Ilia continued to thrash about. "I won't let you win! You're a traitor! Your entire family are nothing but traitors! You have to pay!"

Blake's heart broke as Ilia's venomous words filled her heart and mind.

"Ilia, please-"

"Shut up!" Ilia's eye began to mist. "Stop saying I'm a good person! Stop saying I'm making the wrong decisions! Stop acting like you know me! You're nothing but a coward and a liar! How would you-"

"I know!"

Ilia was quickly silenced by Blake's shout.

"I'm a coward! I'm a liar! I'm a traitor! I know that; but I'm tired of running. I'm sick of letting the people close to me down. I want to change. I want to be better, and I know you do too."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't? Then why did you send me that note? Why did you keep telling me to leave even if it meant it would ruin the Albain's plans?"

"It was part of my mission. Fool you into-"

"That's crap!" Blake interrupted. "You did it because you **care**. You did it because you know all of this pain the White Fang is causing, all of this fighting and death, it's wrong. Following the Albains, following **Adam** is wrong. They aren't doing this for the faunus, only for themselves. That's why worked with criminals like Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall. That's why they attacked Beacon knowing that a number of students there were faunus. That's why Adam killed Sienna Khan."

Ilia looked away. "Stop…"

"They don't **want** peace. They want anarchy. More people are going to die if we keep letting them do this, Ilia. Not just humans, but faunus too."

"Stop it…"

"Is that what you want,Ilia? Do you want innocent blood spilled everywhere? Do you want another conflict like the Great War?"

The fire was beginning to spread throughout the room now. It wouldn't be long before it reached the load bearing pillars and brought the ceiling down around them. But Blake and Ilia couldn't focus on anything else but each other. Even with the world burning around them.

"I…don't…" The water started to collect in the corner of Ilia's eyes.

"Is this what your parents would have wanted for you?"

"What else can I do?!"

Ilia finally stopped struggling and laid still beneath Blake, a tear streaming down her cheek.

"I don't know what to do anymore. Please, Blake…tell me what I should do."

Blake's eyes softened. "Ilia…"

A loud crash interrupted the pair and a body flew into the room through a broken wall.

It was Neon.

Without a second thought Blake released Ilia and raced to catch her friend.

She was in really bad shape; in an even worse state than when she collapsed in the doorway.

"Neon! Neon, can you hear me?! Say something!"

The cat girl slowly opened her eyes as Blake lightly shook her body. "Blake…?"

Her voice was raspy and weak. She didn't have much strength left.

"Stay with me ok?"

Yuma stepped into the room, brushing the dust from the collapsed wall from his jacket and wings. His uniform had a few tears and there were bruises and cuts on various parts of his body, but he was still in much better state than Neon.

"She proved much more troublesome than I thought." He backhandedly complimented. "Good to see you well, Sister Ilia."

Ilia rose from the floor, ignoring her comrades attempt at a joke.

 _Was what you did to Neon your way of 'combating hate'? She's one of us._

Ilia looked away in shame. Yuma noticed this, but didn't say anything.

"Blake Belladonna. You and your family have been accused of treason to all faunus kind. By or order of High Leader Adam Taurus, the punishment is death."

Blake moved the now unconscious Neon against the wall before turning to face her foes, her eyes now having darkened as she looked at Yuuma.

"There she is." he smirked. his body anxious to fight against her. "Come then, Deadly Nightshade. Let's have a bit of fun before we take you to the High Leader. Perhaps you will fare better than your little night light."

"Ilia."

The chameleon stiffened at the sound her name, but refused to look in Blake's direction.

"If you really want to change. You have to **fight**."

Ilia's eyes slowly widened.

Yuuma spread his wings. "Enough talking. It's time we-"

Another crash split the air, and another body sailed into the room.

This one being Corsac Albain.

Ilia immediately jumped out of the way, but Yuma's reaction time wasn't as fast.

He and Corsac collided, both hitting the wall on the opposite side with a loud thud. Yuma was instantly knocked out from the impact, Corsac suffering mild vertigo.

Two more figures emerged from the hole.

"Dad?!"

"Blake?!"

Fennec was hot on Ghira's heels, stabbing the chieftain in the shoulder with his dagger when he called out to his daughter.

With an angered roar Ghira grabbing Fennec and slung him towards his brother.

Corsac sidestepped and charged Ghira; the chieftain pulling out Fennec's dagger.

The two met the middle of the burning room, trading blows as the fire spread even further around them.

Ilia was frozen as the chaos started to envelop her. She didn't know what to do. There was too much to process.

"Ilia!" Fennec shouted. "Stop standing around and fight!"

He recovered his weapon and joined his brother in combat.

Soon after Sun joined the fray.

The smaller Albain fired a blast the monkey boy's way, but he missed, hitting Corsac instead.

"Brother!"

Sun kicked him away.

Fennec slid next to Ilia. She still had yet to move.

"Damn, you girl!" he shouted, grabbing her shoulders and shocking her back to her senses. "Stop standing there like a tree and stop them!"

Fennec pointed her towards Blake, who was transporting Neon to the hole in the wall.

Finally, Ilia legs started to move.

"Stop her!" Ghira ordered.

"Right!"

Sun cut Ilia off and the pair started to fight right in front of Blake.

"Stop!" Blake yelled.

"Blake! Over here!" Kali called.

"Mom?! Why are you still here?"

"I couldn't very well leave you and your father behind." She looked to Neon in shock. "Is she-"

"She's alive, but needs medical attention fast." Blake said quickly. "Can you get her out of here?"

"I will. Give her to me."

Blake carefully relinquished Neon over to her mother. After a quick hug Kali left the building, leaving Blake alone to survey the scene.

No matter where she looked there was madness and mayhem erupting in front of her.

The entire house had started to burn at this point, but no one seemed to care. All they wanted to do was fight.

Her father was defending himself against both Albain brothers on the ground floor. She started moving to his aid until she glanced to the second floor where Sun and Ilia were fighting.

It was an even exchange, but Blake could tell that Ilia was starting to lose herself. Before long she stopped attacking and was only defending herself from Sun's onslaught.

She had lost her will to fight.

Sun knocked Ilia from the railing, sending her falling through a group of chairs and into a load bearing pillar, fracturing it. Before he could jump after her Blake stood in his way, shielding Ilia from further harm.

"Sun, stop! It's over! She's not fighting back anymore!"

"Blake..." Ilia muttered in disbelief.

"Get out of the way, Blake!"

"Not until you stop!"

"Blake, I'm serious! We don't have time for-"

Sun heard a noise and looked to the pillar Blake was standing next to. It was starting to give way.

"Look out!"

Blake looked up just as the pillar broke.

On reflex she pushed Ilia out of the way. Leaving herself to be crushed.

"Blake!" Ilia screamed.

"No!" Shouted Sun.

"Blake!"

Ghira forced the Albain's away and made a mad dash for his daughter just as the debris fell around her.

When the dust settled, Blake saw her father holding up the balcony on the back of his massive shoulders. He had made it in time.

"Dad-"

"Go!"

Blake rolled from under the balcony and Ghira fell to a knee, the balcony shifting slightly.

The weight was more than he anticipated. Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him upright, but that was fading fast. Sun activated his Semblance and grabbed some of the debris, but even that wasn't enough to free the Chieftain. If they didn't think fast he would suffer the fate his daughter was meant to.

Blake switched Gambol Shroud to gun mode and began swinging the ribbon as hard as she could. With enough force she could pull her father free, or at least she hoped she could.

As she gained more and more momentum, Fennec started to stir.

Seeing his brother in no condition to continue at the moment, he grabbed both of their daggers and stood up. Realizing what he had to do he took a breath and bolted towards the helpless Ghira, both daggers rigged to explode.

Blake saw him from the corner of her eye. She didn't think she gained enough momentum, but she had to chance it.

She threw Gambol Shroud with all her might, the weapon wrapping tightly around her father's abdomen as it fastened to the ribbon. With one powerful tug – and a little help from Sun - she successfully pulled her father away just as Fennec made his move.

With nothing holding the balcony in place, it fell on top of Fennec, crushing him.

His end came when the daggers exploded beneath the rubble.

"You traitors!" Bellowed Corsac as he rose to his feet, his eyes filled with anger and pain at the loss of his brother. "What have you done?! You ruined **everything**! You will all die here today! I swear-"

Blake, Sun, and Ghira prepared for his attack, but the minute he stepped forward Ilia's whip wrapped around his body. Left him a defeated heap on the floor.

When Ilia looked to Blake and the others she was on the verge of tears.

Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and walked to her.

"Blake, don't-"

Sun tried to stop her but was halted himself by Ghira.

Her arms hugged tightly to her body, Ilia looked to Blake for some sort of an answer to a question she had yet to ask.

Blake said two simple words.

"Thank you."

Ilia finally broke down, her cries echoing in the halls as she fell to her knees and into Blake's waiting arms.

The long struggle was finally over.

They survived.

* * *

When Blake, Ghira, Sun, and Ilia emerged from the burning house they were unexpectedly greeted by a large group of faunus standing outside.

Residents from the Aviary, the Cage, and the Net all convened in the center of Kuo Kuana. Blake could hardly believe it.

"That's a lot of people." Sun marvelled. "I think the whole island is here."

"Not likely." Ghira denied. "But it is close."

"They must have heard all the noise and came to check it out." Blake surmised.

A few guards rushed past the group and headed into the house.

"Stay back, people!" one of the guards shouted to the crowd. "We're working here!"

The sheer amount of people crowded around made Ilia more than a little uncomfortable. She thought back to her outburst in middle of this same crowd a short time ago. She couldn't face them. Not after what she had done. The mere thought made her want to run and hide.

She felt herself take a step back, but when Blake grabbed her wrist she stopped.

"Don't run."

Blake didn't look at Ilia when she spoke those words, but she didn't need to. Her intentions were clear enough.

Ilia took a step forward.

Ghira - having gone back inside to help look for survivors - placed the bodies of unconscious White Fang soldiers as well as fallen Menagerie guards at the top of the stairs for Saber Rodentia and his men to collect.

"Check for any more survivors!" Saber ordered to his men.

A pair of guards soon came out with Corsac, his hands tied behind his back.

"We got here as soon as we could." Saber told the cheiftain. "What happened to Fennec?"

Ghira mournfully shook his head. Saber got the message immediately and turned to Corsac.

"Was all this really worth it?"

Corsac looked away in disgust.

"Take him away." The head guard commanded.

Blake looked out to the crowd. They were all waiting for **something**. She didn't know what exactly, but she could see the trepidation in their eyes. This was a moment. One she could no longer ignore.

With a deep sigh she let go of Ilia and walked to the bottom of the stairs, the crowd's collective gaze following her. She pointed to the smoke rising from her home.

" **This** is what happens when we let fear control us!" she said. " **This** is the consequence of letting hate and violence rule over our lives! **This** is the change that Adam Taurus wants! One that can only be brought about by blood and death! This is how far he's willing to go against his own kind for so much as disagreeing with him!

I don't know about all of you, but I'm sick of being afraid! I'm sick of being **angry**! And I'm sick of running! I understand that the problems we as a people face have no simple answers, most things don't, but what I **do** know is that **this** is not the solution. There **has** to be a better way! I can't force you to leave your homes and fight, I could never do that, but what I can do is ask. Ask for you to fight so something like this never happens again. Fight so the Fall doesn't happen a second time. I know I will. Even if I have to do it on my own."

"You're not alone." a voice argued. "I'll fight with you."

To the shock of everyone Ilia stepped forward.

"Isn't that that faunus girl that ambushed the rally?"

"Doesn't she **hate** the Belladonnas?"

"Why is she joining them now?"

"This has got to be a set up."

Despite the murmurings of doubt in the crowd, Ilia stood firm next to Blake.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Not really, but...I'm tired of running away too."

The two shared a smile.

The crowd were still unsure of what to do. What happened tonight was only a small taste of what the new High Leader was capable of. Who knows what would happen if he were to attack again? It made sense to be hesitant. The risks were too great.

Even so, some chose to answer the call to action.

"I-I'll go too!"

The young man Sun had tried to recruit days prior stepped forward. His legs were shaking, but his eyes showed his determination.

"Me too!"

Next was a young girl the same age as Blake and Ilia.

"I'm going!"

"She's right! I'm tired of being scared!"

"Let's do it!"

"Yeah!"

"Count me in!"

"The White Fang can't get away with this!"

One by one people in the crowd voiced their support for Blake's caused. In a matter of minutes everyone assembled agreed to join in the fight.

"Don't forget…me."

Kali approached her daughter, a bandaged Neon hanging from her shoulder.

"What are you doing here? You need to be resting in a hospital bed." Blake chided to the feline.

"I'm fine." Neon waved weakly with a wide smile. "Just need to get my wind back. You didn't think I would let you do this without me did ya?"

Blake smiled. "No. I didn't."

"Looks like we gotta lot of work to do." Sun commented as he joined Blake and the others forward.

Without warning he pinched Ilia's arm as hard as he could.

"Ow!" she yelped, turning red. "What was that for?"

"Stabbing me." He grinned. "Now we're even."

Blake smiled at their banter.

* * *

The Belladonnas, Sun, Ilia, and Neon all stood in what was left of the Belladonna Family home. The emergency personnel managed to put out the fires, but a good amount of the house had been lost in the blaze. Even if they started repairs tomorrow it would take at least a month or so for it to be back to normal.

"Well I wanted to redecorate anyway." Kali joked.

Ghira sighed. All of this would come out of his pocket.

"So what's the plan now?" Sun asked.

"The attack on Haven is in less than a month." Ilia revealed.

"That's not a lot of time." Neon fretted.

"It certainly isn't." Ghira agreed. "We have to start preparing **now**. A lot of those who sided with us have no idea what it means to be in a real fight, let alone one of this magnitude. We have to train them, as well as gather any and all weapons and supplies we can."

"We also need transportation big enough to carry everyone." Kali pointed out.

"I think I may have that covered." Blake replied. "A sea captain owes me a favor."

"It won't be enough."

Everyone got on their guard as a hooded figure appeared from the trees behind the wreckage of a nearby wall.

"If you want to defeat Adam, you have to understand **how** he thinks. A ragtag group of rebels won't be enough to defeat him. I can help you, but you have to listen to everything I say. Otherwise Haven will become another Beacon."

"Sorry, spooky, but we don't take orders from creeps in hoods."

"Show yourself." Ghira demanded, Blake and Ilia pointing their weapons at the stranger.

The mysterious person slowly removed their hood, their true face shocking the group once the light of the moon hit it.

Sienna Khan was alive.

"Will you listen to me now?"

* * *

Cinder Fall never minded the castle's dungeon.

Despite its dark, dreary, and depressing atmosphere she saw no real problems with it overall. It matched the aesthetic of the castle. The combination of dark sights and eerie sounds was maddening. It was the perfect place to hold prisoners.

Recently that view had changed.

Now she hated this place. It's dank air. The cracked floors hat were infested with insects. The way the torches reflecting from the dusty walls stung her eye. She hated everything about the dungeon.

Save the one prisoner inside.

Cinder sat on the floor in front of the last cell at the end of the hall, her gaze focused on the young man lying before her.

 **He** was the reason she hated this place. Not because of him specifically, but that it was this ugly place that confined him.

He was not an animal to be locked in a cage. His beauty should be seen - and feared - by the entire world. That is what her loved deserved, but she could not go against her master's wishes.

"The operation will begin soon."

Her words were met with silence. She expected no different. He had long stopped talking to her.

Nonetheless, she continued as she always did.

"The world is changing. Every day we get closer and closer to attaining what we've strived so long for. I can feel it, Natsu. Ozpin and his toy soldiers will fall, crushed beneath the weight of their own ambitions."

She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a grotesque, misshapen arm.

From the elbow down – past the burned nub of her original arm - it was pitch black, with an opening in the middle of the forearm as if it had been pulled apart. The hand was noticeably bigger than her other one, and the fingers were longer as well, with sharp nails that protruded outward like claws. In a word, it was inhuman.

"The price I paid for power. A Grimm's arm." She chuckled ruefully to herself. "Ironic when you think about it. These powers I were blessed with were created to exterminate such creatures, but I now find myself having become one of them in a way."

Her smile faded and she clenched her demonic fist; her eye starting to burn with Maiden's power.

"Once I have done away with the pretender and…Ruby Rose." Her eye flared when she said the girl's name. "Nothing will be in our way. You and I will finally be free of any nuisances. We can be as we were meant to. Together in a world free of pain, sorrow, and death. Ideal paradise. Can't you feel the excitement igniting your bones?"

Cinder grabbed the bars of the cell, her eyes and heart hungry for a response from her beloved. Anything that he acknowledged her existence would satisfy her. She waited and waited. Hoping for even a breath, but nothing came.

He simply laid there with his back to her.

Spurned for the last time, Cinder slammed her fists against the bars, the sound of rattled metal echoing throughout the chamber.

"Say something!"

Silence.

"I've given you everything I have to offer and more! If not for me you would be rotting within the ill-gotten land of your selfish adoptive father! You would have been forgotten to history! Another casualty in a tragedy! An obituary placed in the disrespectfully back of a biased newspaper! A light snuffed out before it could rightfully shine! Is that what you wanted?! Would you have rather been a martyr?!"

Silence.

"Answer me, damn you!"

Her eye burned with even more power than before.

"Your 'friends' left you to **die**! They're out there fighting a losing battle in the name of self-righteous justice while you waste away in here! Is that what 'friendship' earns you? They know you're alive, but they've done nothing! How can you can continue on like this? Don't you understand?! **I** am the only one who cares for you! I'm the only one who **loves** you! Not them!

 **Not** Pyrrha Nikos! **Not** Ruby Rose! **Not** Weiss Schnee! **Not** Ozpin! **Me**! **I** am the only one in this world who loves you for what you truly are! I embrace it! Yet you reject me at every turn! You doubt my love and call me insane, but I have never seen more clearly! **You** belong to **me** , Natsu Dragneel! No one else can have you!"

The final silence serving as her cue to leave. Cinder proceeded to the dungeon door.

Her last words hung in the air.

"I will prove my love for you. Even if I must bring you the heads of those you claim to hold dear."

* * *

Cinder opened her eye, her vision clearing to see Watts, Mercury, and Emerald sitting around her. The carriage had finally stopped moving.

"Did you have a sweet dream, your majesty?" the doctor mocked. Cinder ignored him and stepped out into the forest.

"How far is their camp?" she asked Emerald.

"Just beyond those trees." The thief pointed.

Mercury poked his head from the bushes and surveyed the scene.

"Looks like they only have three guards at the front gate."

"Much more lax than I expected." Watts commented while twirling his mustache. "I was under the impression that The Tribe were **elite** warriors."

"What should we do, Cinder?" Emerald implored.

"We **knock**."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Mercury grinned. He stepped out of the bushes, Emerald following. "Hey, ugly!"

The guards prepared for a fight when Mercury and Emerald emerged from the tree line. A bandit with messy blonde hair and a missing tooth let out a rough sigh.

"I'm getting **real** sick of people just showing up here whenever they feel like it. First it was that blonde chick and her stuck up friend and now you two clowns."

Mercury was confused. Emerald didn't care.

"Take us to your leader." she said with a cocksure smirked.

The lead bandit grabbed his weapon and aimed it at the pair.

"How about I-"

When Cinder and Watts appeared, the young man stopped in his tracks.

Watts' smug grin was ever present, but Cinder's cold unfeeling stare was what really froze him in place.

"Last chance." Mercury said smugly. "Our boss doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The guards were too frightened to answer.

Mercury and Emerald stepped aside as Cinder raised her arm; flames gathering in the center her palm.

* * *

 **Saw the Adam character trailer a week or so ago. It was...ok. Didn't really do much for Adam's character or really tells us anything we didn't already know - there were also some odd continuity errors like Ilia being there when Ghira was around despite him supposing had left the Fang five years prior to the series which means Ilia should at least be 12 and...you know what, the more I think about the writers refusal to establish a timeline, the madder I'll get so I'm just gonna let it go - at the fight scenes look much better and more Monica Rial in anything is always a plus so it was cool to see Sienna - though in hindsight it makes Adam's killing of her look even worse, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole. Hopefully V6 will be better than 5 was. I'll more than likely see it in the theater like I did the V5 opener.**

 **Not the best at fight scenes, but I tried my best to switch up the Blake/Ilia fight to make it a little more personal and grounded. And to cut out all the unnecessary dialogue canon shoved in there. I also tried to fix the "Blake can't see in the dark despite being a cat" thing by having HER be the one to turn the lights out.**

 **I wanted to show the Neon/Yuma fight, but in all honesty I couldn't really think of anything for it, and with all my time focused on the Blake/Ilia fight I just couldn't spend time on it. Maybe she'll shine (HA puns) later on in the volume. Writing Trifa was an interesting challenge though since she got like two minutes of screen time. I think she turned out well.**

 **Now that the last of the individual story arcs fro Team RWBY has somewhat concluded we can start to continue forward towards the end of the volume. Hope you all are ready, some crazy stuff is about to go down.**

 **As always leave a review/comment letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading!**


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